


When You Reach Me

by writterings



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Soulmate AU, keith is autistic but it's not too important to the story, mentions of injurys and car accident in later chapters, mentions of medication in later chapters, mlm author, she/her pronouns for pidge, soulmate au where whatever you write on your skin it appears on your soulmate's
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-09-25 00:25:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9794270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writterings/pseuds/writterings
Summary: Soulmate AU where whatever you write on your skin, it appears on your soulmate’s. Lance and Hunk knew they were each other’s soulmates since they were kids. Keith, on the other hand, believed he had no soulmate. A twist of fate, however, changes all of their worlds when they find out that it’s possible for a person to have more than one soulmate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So this is my entry for the 2017 Primary Paladins Big Bang and I am SO excited. I've put a lot of work into this fic and I hope everyone enjoys it!
> 
> First, I would like to thank my great beta, [umlsonoda](http://sugawarakoushi.ml/) on tumblr who's been totally cool about everything and gives wonderful feedback.
> 
> Next, I would like to thank the AMAZING artists I worked with [tropicoola](http://tropicoola.tumblr.com/), [lil-miss-epic](http://lil-miss-epic.tumblr.com/), and [micolours](http://micolours.tumblr.com/)! They're all extremely talented and you all should totally check them out. All of their work will be later featured in this fic! (Links to their work will be edited in here later when all of it is posted.)
> 
> Also, I'd like to thank everyone who organized this fun event for us at the Voltron BigBang [Tumblr](http://voltronbigbang.tumblr.com/). You guys are great!
> 
> Anyways, let's get on with the show, shall we? I hope you enjoy!

Everyone had a soulmate.

Whether it was platonic, romantic, or something in between, everyone had at least one person like that. Science couldn’t explain the phenomenon, though it tried. It defied logic, reason, and any sense of the universe. It just couldn’t be explained.

Coincidentally, love was quite similar in that regard. So, really, the concept of soulmates was quite fitting. 

People found their soulmates by writing on themselves. Whatever they wrote, it appeared on their partner’s skin. This was how most people found each other, and how they communicated before exchanging contact information. 

Any mark on the body could show up on a person’s soulmate. Wounds, scars, and even makeup and tattoos -- all of those could appear on their match if a person was not careful enough. Despite still being baffled by the entire concept, science soon found a way to work around those last two, however. 

Marks began appearing on Lance’s skin by the time he was six years old. They were marker rubbings, obviously the result of someone leaning their hand against the page as they colored. He hadn’t known exactly what they meant at the time, but he tried to wash them off. They wouldn’t leave or even fade, however, even if he washed his hands about ten times.

His hands were beginning to get dried out as his mother walked into the room. She stared Lance for a moment, then laughed as she watched him furiously scrub at his hands, persistently adding more soap every time he brought them out from under the stream of water. He was biting down on his lip hard, face screwed up in determination. Tears started forming at the corners of his eyes.

Lance’s mother gasped and she came over immediately. “What’s wrong,  _ papi _ ?” She shut off the water and took his wet hands into her own, and crouched down so that she was at eye level with him. “What are you trying to do?”

“The marker won’t come off!” he cried, retracting his hands and holding them up for her to see. Blotches and smudges of different colors crisscrossed his palms. “I didn’t even  _ use  _ a purple marker today!”

“Oh, Lance!” His mother’s eyes widened in surprise, but suddenly she smiled. “Those are just signs from your soulmate.”

“My soulmate?” He looked up at her in confusion, then looked down at his hands. “Like...you and Papa?”

“Yes, like me and Papa.” His mother reached up onto the counter beside the sink and grabbed a damp towel, and started drying his hands.. “These marks are just things your soulmate accidentally drew on their body. But since they’re your soulmate, they appeared on yours as well. You can draw things on your body on purpose so that your soulmate will see them too.”

Lance’s eyes widened. “I can?”

“Yes!” His mother placed the towel back on the counter, then held up her hand. “See here on my palm? Papa left me note!”

“What does it say?” Lance asked, squinting at the writing despite not being able to read yet. 

“He reminded me to pick up some milk on my way home from work.”

“Why didn’t he just text you if that’s all he had to say?” 

“Well, he also drew a heart.” She pointed to area where her thumb met her hand. “See? That’s a bit more romantic that way. He’s telling me to do a boring task, but also is reminding me that he loves me at the same time.”

“He could’ve used an emoji for that.”

“But that’s so impersonal!” His mother gasped, though she did secretly agree. “It took time him to draw out that heart. He ever colored it in. Plus, this way, it’s with me all day! I don’t even have to look at my phone to see it, like I would if he had ‘sent an emoji’.”

“Oh,” Lance said, gears obviously turning in his head. “Alright, I still think he could’ve just used an emoji though. So the marks on my hand won’t come off then?”

“Nope! Not until your soulmate washes them off.”

“Does it work the same way if I do it? Like, if I color on my skin, it won’t come off on theirs until I wash my hands?”

“Yes, exactly! I said that before. That’s why you only leave messages of love on your skin!”

“Oh...then why did they leave scribbles?” Lance looked down at his hands again in confusion. 

His mother’s thought fast. “It just means that they probably don’t know you can see their markings yet. I’m sure if they knew, they would wash off all those smudges immediately.”

Lance stared down at his hands with a pondering look. “You said I should only leave messages of love on my skin, right?”

“Only messages of love, and messages that might be helpful. Like how Papa reminded me to get the milk.”

“Hm….” Lance looked up at her. “Can I have a marker?”

For the rest of the night, Lance used the sharpie his mother gave him and doodled little hearts all over his arms, legs, tummy, and even his face (much to his mother’s displeasure). He didn’t really know how to write yet, but he hoped his drawings would be enough to convey the message he was trying to send. 

“Do you think they’ll like these hearts?” Lance asked as he scribbled another poorly done one on his belly, lifting up his shirt and gripping the marker at an awkward angle. 

“I’m sure their mother won’t,” his mother tutted, looking up  _ How to remove sharpie from skin _ on her phone. “You drew in some rather odd places, young man.”

Lance stopped coloring and looked up. “I just wanted them to know that I’m here! But I meant do you think they’ll care that my drawings aren’t good?”

“Oh,  _ papi _ .” His mother placed down her phone and smiled. “If they’re your soulmate, they won’t care how you draw. It’s what you draw that matters.”

Lance smiled, then went back to the heart. “Okay, thank you, Mama. I’ll draw even  _ more  _ hearts then!”

She sighed. “Just no more on your face.”

 

* * *

 

Throughout the years, Lance would always leave a little doodle on his hand or arm right before the day began, and right before it ended. It became a ritual almost, to draw the little heart on his hand, right where his thumb met his palm. He just wanted his soulmate to know that he was there, and that he loved them (or would love them, he realized when he was older, seeing as he had never met them yet).

His soulmate, in return, would doodle a little smiley face back. Now, it wasn’t as romantic, but Lance didn’t care -- they were probably just shy, he reasoned. It took them long enough to reply, anyways; after his first incident of drawing all those hearts on himself years ago, not a single mark had appeared on his body from his soulmate for a week after that. Finally, a small heart had been doodled on the back of his hand after a while, but the message was clear; his soulmate didn’t really like the excessive show of affection. 

And Lance was fine with that. As he grew older, he realized most people kept the marks from their soulmates somewhat discreet and secret, as if they wanted to keep them all to themselves. And, frankly, he came to understand that feeling as well. The marks were rather intimate things, and he wanted to keep them as something for just him and his soulmate.

It wasn’t until middle school that he tried to actually seek out his soulmate. He didn’t think giving them his phone number would be appropriate just yet, but he decided to try with an introduction. Despite all the years of technically being in contact with them, he still had never really written anything to them.

_ Hi _ , he wrote.  _ My name is Lance. I’m eleven years old and in the sixth grade. I’m pretty sure I’m your soulmate.  _

He waited a good few minutes, staring anxiously at him bare thigh he had written on (due to more skin area being there). Slowly, letters started to appear on his leg, in a cramped and rather small handwriting. 

_ Hi _ , his soulmate wrote back.  _ My name is Hunk. I’m twelve years old and in the sixth grade too.  _

Lance all but jumped up in excitement. His soulmate had responded! He rushed to write out another message beneath theirs.

He scribbled down a note of what state he lived in, and tried to keep his hand steady despite his excitement. He then added,  _ Where do you live? _

There was a moment before he got a response. 

_ Wow, that’s my state too _ , Hunk wrote back.  _ I go to Balmera Mid. Do you know where that is? _

Lance all but snapped his pen in half when he read that. He hurriedly scribbled down his answer. 

_ I go to Altea Mid!!!! _

_ Really?! _ Hunk answered, handwriting becoming slightly illegible as it was evident he was getting excited too.  _ That’s only twenty minutes away from where I live! _

_ We could meet!!! _

Lance waited a moment, eagerly. His soulmate lived near him! He could meet his soulmate! That was probably the best outcome he could have hoped for in choosing to contact them so soon. He started doodling some hearts on his hand, knowing they were appear on Hunk’s. He just hoped they were as excited as he was. 

A few more minutes passed, and still no response. Lance didn’t want to push Hunk, or anything, but he wanted to remind them that he was there. He doodled a few more hearts onto his arm, and waited. He didn’t even get the usual smiley face back. 

Twenty minutes passed. Lance uncapped his marker, and wrote a quick message down on his thigh. 

_ Or not _ , he wrote.  _ I understand if you don’t want to meet yet.  _

Almost instantaneously, there was a reply. 

_ No!  _ Came Hunk’s messy scrawl.  _ I would like to meet you. Soon. I was just asking my mom first, and she needed some convincing.  _

Lance stared down at his thigh in shock, then slowly began laughing. Of course! He needed to ask his own mother as well. At least Hunk had the foresight to ask before confirming anything. 

_ Oh! I do too. What did yours say?  _ he quickly responded.

_ She said yes!  _ Hunk wrote back.  _ Do you know where Lion’s Park is? _

And that was how, a week later, Lance found himself fidgeting with the neck tie he had insisted upon wearing as he and his mother waited on a park bench. He gnawed on the pen he had brought, and considered scribbling down a few hearts onto his hand, but thought better of it when he saw a message appear on his palm.

_ We’re here _ , he read from Hunk’s messy scrawl.  _ I think I see you on a bench? _

Lance looked up and surveyed the area. He found his eyes drawn to the entrance, underneath the tall sign that welcomed everyone to the park. There stood a pretty woman who looked to be in her early forties, and-

Lance felt his heart skip a beat and heat rose in his face. “That’s him,” he said quietly.

“What was that?” His mother looked up and followed his gaze. Her eyebrows raised. “That boy over there?”

Lance nodded. “That’s him.”

“Then what are you still doing here?” She gave him a light shove on the back. “Go introduce yourself!”

Lance hopped up and started to walk over on shaky legs. He somewhat wished his mother had come with him. With a deep breath, he clenched his jaw and made his way over. The boy and his mother looked up as he approached. 

“Hi,” he said awkwardly, standing a bit too stiffly when he stopped and not meeting the two strangers’ eyes. “I-I’m Lance. Are you-”

He was cut off by a pair of arms suddenly being wrapped around his neck, and a body being flung at him. He stood there, shocked for a minute as Hunk hugged him, but slowly he reached up his own hands and hugged him back. A smile spread across his face. 

“Hello,” he murmured into the soft hair tickling his nose. He squeezed Hunk tighter. “Nice to meet you.”

Hunk pulled back -- somewhat reluctantly, it seemed -- and gave him a wide, bright smile. “Hi,” he breathed out, “I’m Hunk.”

Behind him, his mother laughed. Neither of the boys noticed. 

Lance held him by the shoulders at arm's distance, looking him over. Hunk was slightly shorter than Lance, and his hair was a bit longer too. He had it pulled away from his face, however, and he had on an orange headband to keep back his bangs. He was also chubby, too, and Lance happily took note of that because that meant there was more of him to hug. His skin was also a few beautiful shades darker than Lance’s own, and it matched the beautiful woman’s behind him.

“You’re cute,” were the first things that tumbled out of his mouth.

Hunk’s eyes widened and his face went all flustered. “O-oh. Uh, thanks. You too. You’re cute too.”

Lance laughed and took him by the hand. “Come on, I want to show my mom what a cute soulmate I got!”

Lance led Hunk and his mother over to his own who had been watching from the bench. Introductions were made, Lance was berated by his mom for not greeting Hunk’s mother earlier. Finally, the two mothers sat down on the bench together, already seeming to become friends, and shooed the boys away. They hadn’t let go of each other’s hands the entire time.

Lance led Hunk over to a nearby fountain so they could talk. They sat on the edge and just stared out at the park for a bit, getting sprayed a bit by the fountain as its water streams splashed around in the pond. Finally, Lance turned to Hunk and smiled when he saw him staring down at their still linked hands.

He intertwined their fingers. “I’m so happy I found you.”

“I’m...so happy I found you too,” Hunk said, smiling to himself and looking at the ground. “It’s great to finally meet you after years of seeing those hearts everyday.”

“Do you like them?”

“I  _ love  _ them. Sorry I never, ah...really drew one back? I just, uh -” Hunk cut himself off, and blinked a few times. “I was just, you know, nervous. I guess.”

“It’s okay!” Lance gave his hand a squeeze. “I always liked your smiley faces. That can be our thing! I can draw hearts and you can draw smiley faces back. That sound good?”

“Yeah….” Hunk slowly smiled. “Yeah, it does.”

Lance squeezed his hand again. “So…” he started, staring back out at the park. “Tell me about yourself.”

The next hour or so was spent with the two boys just talking back and forth, conversation level and equal in all regards even when one was speaking far too much for his turn. They listened to each other prattle on about their interests, their friends, and the classes they hated in school with so much attention it was hard to believe that they had actually just only met. 

Hunk seemed to open up more with a little prompting, and Lance felt as though the animated and bright look on his face suited him a lot more than the shy and apprehensive one. If anything, it made him look  _ cuter _ , and Lance suddenly got the desire to do something he had never had wanted to do before. 

“Hey,” he said after Hunk had just told him a very funny story about how he had once corrected his math teacher. He placed a hand on the side of Hunk’s neck, cupping his face. “Can I kiss you?”

Hunk’s face heated up and he stared back at Lance in shock. “W-what?”

“On the cheek,” Lance quickly said, feeling heat rise to his own face. “Can I kiss you on the cheek?”

“O-oh, uh,” Hunk stammered. “Yeah?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, then.” Lance leaned in a bit, but was still nowhere near Hunk’s face. “Here...I go?”

Lance puckered his lips and closed his eyes, leaning in until he made contact with Hunk’s face. He pecked him quick, then immediately pulled back. He took the hand off of Hunk’s neck and placed it over his own mouth in shock. Hunk reached up and touched the place where Lance kissed him. 

“Wow,” he muttered. “Uh...okay. C-can I kiss you too?”

Lance felt his heart do something funny. “Go for it.”

Lance closed his eyes, and after a moment he felt a pair of soft lips press gently to the corner of his mouth. He knew that must’ve been a miscalculation, but it made him smile nonetheless. 

“Wow,” he said. 

“Wow?”

“Wow.”

Hunk laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You bet I am!” Lance slugged an arm around his shoulders and put him in a light headlock, and started ruffling his hair. “But now you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life!”

Hunk laughed as Lance started messing up his hair, and he struggled against his hold. They grappled with each other for a few seconds, and then Lance finally let him go. They both sat back on the fountain with soft, excited smiles and bright eyes. 

“I would like that,” Hunk said after a moment. 

Lance turned to look at him. “Hm?”

“You said we’re now stuck with each other for the rest of our lives.” He shrugged, and looked forward with a soft smile on his face. “I think I’m okay with that. Like, even though we just met and all. But we’re soulmates, so that’s gotta mean something.”

Lance smiled, and gently took his hand. “Then I think I’m okay with that too.”

And they sat there like that, until the sun started setting and both of their mothers started calling for them. Lance and Hunk held hands all the way up until they had to part ways, but even then they wouldn’t stop looking back at each other and waving wildly as they walked away. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe...I really love Hance. But what do I also love? Heith, Klance, and Klunk. Expect all of that in later chapters. 
> 
> Oh also a quick shoutout to my friend [Georgia](http://altruisticallura.tumblr.com/) who was the first person who read this fic and also technically it's first fan. (ILY GEORGIA)
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed! Please feel free to leave a comment if you want. Update will be this Saturday!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you squint you might catch a glimpse of Keith...or rather, something he says. :P

Not everyone had a soulmate.

Hunk had been the result of a previous relationship his mom had with an older gentleman she knew from her office. Hunk had only met his father a handful of times, but never really got to know him. He didn’t seem that interested in getting to know Hunk either, but his mom always said as long as he kept sending in those child support checks the two of them didn’t need that loser.

And that was okay by Hunk, because he didn’t really like his father all too much. He was rather boring and only liked to talk about “adult” stuff like taxes, and he occasionally would yell when Hunk made too much noise. Hunk often wondered why his mother had even dated such a jerk. He asked her once, but never really got a straight answer.

“These things just happen, sweetie,” she sighed, staring off into space. “One moment someone is your everything, and the next you’re complete strangers.”

He hadn’t fully understood what she meant at the time. But he did understand something about soulmates, considering his own covered every inch of his skin with poorly-drawn hearts a few weeks back. His mom had never mentioned having one, but he had always assumed that his father was her soulmate. And because of that, he always wondered why she and him weren’t still together.

“Wasn’t he your soulmate, mommy?” he once asked.

And his mother had looked away, almost abashed. “I...I don’t have a soulmate, sweetie.”

And then she looked so, so _sad_ and Hunk cursed himself internally for asking her such a question.

He had been seven years old at the time, and he never asked her again.

 

* * *

 

Flash forward a few years and Hunk’s father was probably the furthest thing from his minds. He and his mom were quite content without him in their lives, and she had even started dating a very nice lady that always smelled good and gave warm hugs. She wasn’t his mother’s soulmate, of course, but sometimes when Hunk caught her staring at his mother in a special way, he could’ve swore that they were.

When he was ten, they got married. The whole process took them a while, of course, seeing as the court system still had some bias against non-soulmated couples _and_ some even more completely unrelated bias against same-sex couples (thanks systematic homophobia), but eventually they were able to have the beautiful wedding they always wanted and deserved.

Hunk was the best man, the ring bearer, and the flower boy all in one, and he teared up a bit when he heard his mother say “I do.” After she kissed her new wife (and Hunk’s new, other mom) the two of them turned around and grabbed Hunk by either hand. He got to run down the aisle with them out of the church, and when they finally stopped outside of the limo they got to take them to the reception, both of his moms kissed him on the cheeks.

Later that night, as he watched his mom and his other mom dance very poorly to the _Cupid Shuffle_ while still trying to hold hands, he decided that the whole concept of soulmates was bullshit, and that he would never behold himself to something as foolish as _predestination_ when there was proof that choosing who you love could work out better than you would have ever imagined.

Of course, the small red heart on the palm of his hand that he didn’t draw, suggested otherwise.

 

* * *

 

Hunk’s soulmate messages didn’t always come through clearly.

He always figured that was because his mother didn’t have a soulmate. He’d done his own research on the topic, considering the last time he asked his mother about soulmates it did not end well, and found that a lot of soulmate anomalies were genetic.

He was pretty sure he had Uxor’s Syndrome or Anteros Disease, two things that caused a person to not receive their soulmate’s messages. The latter was more likely, however, considering Uxor’s Syndrome usually only occurred later in life. Both had no known causes, but almost every recorded patient had at least one person in their family that didn’t have a soulmate.

Because of this, Hunk did not panic when his soulmate’s messages would come out blurry-looking or faded. Even when he wasn’t sure what they were saying, he would try to doodle back a little smiley face, figuring that was a neutral enough response to anything.

Sometimes his soulmate would just leave him little drawings, which he found frankly adorable despite how he had sworn off following the predestination of soulmate love. He would always try to respond, though, as to not come across as rude.

And then sometimes his soulmate would leave sentences. Short ones, that seemed like conversation starters. He never responded to those, even the hopeful and excited ‘HI’ he once received when he was about seven. Occasionally there was also lines that read “Hi, my name is-” but it would always become blurry just before he could make out a name. He wasn’t interested in starting a conversation with them just yet, or getting to know them. He was too young, and too set in his views on soulmates.

One time, when he was about eleven, he was staying up late to watch a movie. Both of his moms had fallen asleep across the room, leaning heavily on each other as Frodo and Sam marched their way up Mount Doom. Hunk was getting sort of tired of _Lord of the Rings,_ considering he had been watching the trilogy for the past few hours, but was determined to sit through it til the end. In the meantime, his eyes wandered and he soon saw that his soulmate had practically left him an essay on his right arm, and was still writing it.

He couldn’t make out what it said with the dim lighting and the blurry-ness, but he caught the outline of a few words. He was pretty sure the word “soulmate” was in there a few times, and the word “write”. He frowned as he watched the words being scribbled out. Was his soulmate mad at him for never writing back?

He squinted harder, trying to make out what they were saying. He only could clearly make out one line:

_When you reach me._

__

 

* * *

 

The next time Hunk’s soulmate wrote to him, he was twelve, and he decided to finally respond. He hesitated before answering every time, though, and was waiting for them to either blow up at him for never answering or for them to reference the ‘when you reach me’ thing. They -- or rather, _he_ \-- never did, though, and the two of them ended having a rather nice conversation.

His soulmate’s name was Lance and he was an eleven year-old boy that went to another middle school nearby. He wanted to meet Hunk, really badly apparently, and seemed thrilled at the prospect of just _talking_ to him.

Lance seemed nice enough, Hunk admitted. Cute, even, from the way he wrote. Hunk wanted to meet him too. So, swallowing some pride and hoping it wouldn’t come out weird, he asked his mom.

Her answer surprised him, and yet it didn’t. He knew she had no qualms about him having a soulmate while she didn’t, but he was always apprehensive bringing the topic up around her. His other mom had cried a bit when he told her he wanted to meet his soulmate too, and had hugged him claiming her little boy was growing up.

He agreed to meet Lance at a nearby park, and that was it. No romance, nothing big, no falling into the trap of going along with all that predestination crap.

(Or, at least, that’s the speech he told himself as he and his one mom made their way to the park a few days later.)

 

* * *

 

It was love at first sight, and Hunk knew whatever ideas he had about soulmates before were now thrown out the window. Lance was amazing, funny, kind, thoughtful -- and most of all, his soulmate. He wasn’t sure what even happened in the time the spent together, it was like his mind and body had gone on autopilot. He had even impulsively hugged Lance before even saying hello. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he liked it. _He liked having a soulmate_.

If anyone was to change his world in the way that they did, Hunk was glad that it was Lance.

 

* * *

 

Middle school passed in a blur for Hunk. Before he knew it, the classes started getting harder, the workload increased, and everyone seemed to be able to balance a social life and extracurriculars on top of this. He, of course, was no exception to this, and was able to manage to hang out with Lance nearly every other weekend, which was great because they soon became best friends.

Hunk always appreciated that about their relationship; they were friends first, romantic partners second. And he knew that a lot of people couldn’t say that about their respective significant others, so he counted himself lucky. What was better than falling in love with your best friend _and_ being bonded to them on an incomprehensible, metaphysical level?

Before he knew it, though, middle school was over and it was time for high school. He was scared shitless at first, until he remembered that Balmera Mid and Altea Mid both filtered into the same one, which meant he would now get to see Lance _every day._ High school suddenly didn’t seem so bad.

But still, it was intimidating.

“You ready?” Lance asked him on the first day, backpack slung over one shoulder and his free hand gripping Hunk’s.

“Pssh, totally.” He gave Lance’s hand a squeeze that told him the exact opposite thing he just said. “Let’s go in.”

Lance gave Hunk a sidelong glance as they started walking towards the intimidating building. “Do you know where your homeroom is?”

“Room 205,” Hunk said, having memorized it.

“I’m Room 207. Want me to walk you to yours?”

“Yes please,” Hunk said in a small voice.

Lance gave his hand a squeeze and led him into the building.

High school...was big. Well, bigger. There were more kids, the lockers were about as tall as an average sized human being, and for some odd reason, the ceiling seemed higher than in normal buildings. Hunk felt himself relax a bit, finally in the belly of the beast and seeing that it wasn’t so bad.

Lance stopped him outside his homeroom, and took him by both hands. “I’ll just be next door,” he said, almost too seriously. “Just text me if you have a problem.”

Hunk rolled his eyes, feeling a bit more confident now. “Calm down. It’s not like I’m going into a warzone, or anything.”

“Okay, but you don’t understand,” Lance said, tone and face still calm. “ _Please_ , text me. Or write on your skin, or something. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Oh.” Hunk stared up at him and smiled. “Sure, buddy.”

Lance’s shoulders relaxed. “Thanks.”

Hunk pulled him in for a hug. “You be safe today, okay?”

“Yeah, you too.” Lance hugged him back, squeezing hard. “Seriously, _text me_ if there’s a problem. I’ll see you at lunch.”

They pulled away from each other, said one last goodbye, and went their separate ways. Hunk strolled into his classroom feeling pretty good, and felt even better when he saw the teacher wasn’t there yet. Just as he was about to plop himself down next to some old classmates from middle school, he saw everyone was staring at him.

“What?” he said.

“Was that...Lance?” one girl asked. Hunk remembered she has been in his Pre-Algebra class the year before.

He frowned. “Yeah.”

Murmurs erupted throughout the class. One boy turned towards him. “Really? Can you...prove it?”

Hunk’s frowned deepened. “Why?”

Everyone went silent.

“Uh, okay.” Hunk stared back at them, then grabbed a dry erase marker off the whiteboard. He doodled a little smiley face right on the back of his hand, writing the name ‘Lance’ next to it. “There.”

He held up his arm for his classmates to see.

Several people gasped as a heart appeared under it, this time drawn in pen and with the name ‘Hunk’ in the middle of it.

“Fucking called it!” one kid called out triumphantly.

Hunk knew them from his seventh grade P.E. class. He looked at them in confusion. “You fucking knew what?”

“Oh, uh” they said, in an almost embarrassed voice. “There was a class bet.”

“A bet?”

“Yeah….” the kid continued, not meeting Hunk’s eyes. “Since you talked about already knowing your soulmate so much...it was on whether or not they actually existed, or if you were just yanking all our chains.”

Hunk stared at them for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Really?!”

The kid blushed. “Yeah.” They turned to the girl who had first spoken, features suddenly changing into a victorious smirk. “And now Shay owes me fifty dollars.”

 

* * *

 

If middle school had passed fast, then high school did doubly so. Before he knew it, Hunk was already driving, had a job, and was studying tirelessly for the SATs. But he always made time for his friends and family of course, specifically Lance.

But, the fact remained that Hunk’s time was getting limited as his school work increased over the course of the year. Sometimes he would go a whole week or two without seeing Lance outside of school, and that drove him emotionally up a wall. He hated it, hated it, hated it, and things like texting and FaceTime just didn’t cut it, especially in the Cuddles Department.

But that was life, his one mom told him. No matter how bullshit and unfair it seemed.

One day it was specifically getting bad. It was Tuesday, school had been hell, his after school job at the pizza place had been hell, and now he had an essay due at midnight which he hadn’t even started yet. He had exactly five and half hours to do it, but with all the weight of his day, he was just about ready to break down and cry.

Hunk sat down at his computer and started at the blank Google Doc. “Fuck,” he muttered for the umpteenth time that minute. Willing himself to work, he grit his teeth and placed his fingers down on the keyboard. “Might as well start on the heading.”

He wrote for half an hour, managing to get about a page and half in, and looked at the clock in growing distress. At the rate he was going, he might not even finish by his deadline.

With a sigh, he pushed himself away from his desk, hopped out of his chair and flopped down on his bed. He considered picking up his phone and scrolling through it for a while, but he knew if that happened then he would never get back to his paper in time.

With a sigh, he rolled over in bed and flung his arms dramatically up. He just kinda stayed like that for a while, brain fried from his day and body tired from basically everything else.

He considered maybe falling asleep for a while, hoping that he would wake up with enough time to finish and submit his essay, but he couldn’t bring himself in good conscious to set an alarm and actually do it, knowing his track record. He sighed again and rolled over once more in bed. All his blankets fell to the floor.

Just then, he caught a snippet of writing appear on his arm. It was large and loopy -- and it was Lance’s. A wave of comfort came over him and suddenly he felt at ease. He maneuvered his arm so he could read the message more clearly.

_Get off your ass and write your damn paper_ , Lance’s message said. _I know it’s not done. Just do it. Love you babe <3 _

Hunk stared at his arm for a moment, then burst out laughing. He reached around the floor beside his bed for a sharpie.

_Thanks, BABE_ , he wrote back, putting special emphasis on the last word. _You’re always so encouraging._

_:^)_ , was all that Lance wrote back.

Hunk shook his head, in higher spirits that before and got up. He stretched for maybe a minute, then sat back down at his desk. His laptop stared back at him dauntingly, and he made a face at it. He took a deep breath and placed his fingers against the keyboard.

_Just do it. Love you babe <3 _, he read off his arm again, one last time.

With a slight smile on his face, he began writing.   


* * *

 

High school turned into college, which then turned into life. Or more specifically, college-life. It was that weird limbo of time when both Lance and Hunk pretended they were fully functional adults while balancing their courses and basic survival under capitalism in a very poor way.

But, hey, it worked for them. They were able to move to a small city, get decent enough jobs, and their campuses were close enough that they could just rent an apartment and commute _a la_ public transportation. They didn’t go to the same schools, seeing as Lance leaned more towards the liberal arts and Hunk the STEM programs, but hey, it still worked.

Lance worked at a coffee shop, which he knew was cliche. But he also worked as a waiter during the nights he didn’t have class and on weekends, which was less cliche. He needed a way to help pay the bills somehow, after all. He usually got home late most nights, and typically walked in to find Hunk either waiting for him with dinner or already asleep. (Hunk worked two jobs as well, and also volunteered as a TA. Lance never blamed him for crashing early.)

It was on one of these nights that Lance came home at 1 AM to find Hunk already snoring softy on the couch, a textbook open on his lap. Lance rolled his eyes fondly, and pretended he was in a Hallmark movie for a moment, in which he engaged in something so disgustingly domestic and sweet that even the most hardened onlooker would shed a tear at how cute and his boyfriend were.

Or at least that’s what he told himself.

Lance gently took the textbook and closed it, placing it on the cheap coffee table in front of them. He then gently kissed Hunk on the forehead, and pulled away with a soft smile. He stared at him for a moment, being sure to fully admire his boyfriend’s looks and sleeping face before gently shaking him by the shoulder.

“Hey, let’s go to bed,” he said quietly. “Sleeping like this will only fuck up your back.”

Hunk’s eyes cracked open, and then he blinked a few times. “Oh, hey Lance. How was -” he yawned widely “- your day?”

“It was fine,” Lance said, suddenly feeling a yawn come over him as well. “How was yours?”

“Same as usual.”

Lance nodded sympathetically. “Sorry to hear that. Honestly, I’d love to talk more but I kinda want to go to bed.”

Hunk laughed. “The feeling is mutual.”

Hunk got up and they both clamored their way to their shared bedroom, not bothering to turn on the lights when they went in. They changed fast, mostly just shedding their outer wear and planning just to crash in their boxers.

“Should we brush our teeth?” Lance asked, once he and Hunk were comfortably lying down. They weren’t cuddled up together, but they were in enough close proximity to be sharing body heat.

Hunk rolled his eyes. “You ask that now?”

“Hey, you know I’m bad at remembering this stuff,” Lance said, playfully pouting in the dark.

“It’s too late now.”

“Why? Because we’re already in bed?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Hunk said with a fond huff. “Now go to bed, you dork. We gotta be up early.”

“Fiiiiine,” Lance said. There was a pause. “Love you.”

“Love you too. Now go to sleep.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, here's the second chapter! I'd like to thank my awesome beta [umlsonoda](http://sugawarakoushi.ml/) again, for giving some great feedback and critiques, and also the wonderul artists I worked with [tropicoola](http://tropicoola.tumblr.com/), [lil-miss-epic](http://lil-miss-epic.tumblr.com/), and [micolours](http://micolours.tumblr.com/)! lil-miss-epic's artwork for this fic can be found [here](http://lil-miss-epic.tumblr.com/post/157346081048/part-3-for-when-you-reach-me-check-out), [here](http://lil-miss-epic.tumblr.com/post/157336012908/part-2-for-when-you-reach-me-poor-keith-fic-by), and [here](http://lil-miss-epic.tumblr.com/post/157327739038/writterings-is-an-amazing-author-and-has-the-most) (that one is featured in this chapter!), and tropicoola's work can be found [here](http://tropicoola.tumblr.com/tagged/voltron-big-bang)! Seriously, check out all these artists and all their other work, they're seriously amazing. 
> 
> Also, I'd like to thank everyone for such a warm reception of this fic! I'm glad so many people like it this far. <3
> 
> Anyways, leave a comment if you want, check out my artists and my beta, and I'll see you all Monday with the new update!
> 
> (Also, never fear -- an entire chapter dedicated to Keith is coming up REALLY SOON.) :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just a bit of a filler, but it's important to the plot. A plot-filler? It's just that it might be a bit boring because nothing romantic happens, idk. But there is some like...very slight forshadowing to something related to the characters. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ idk tbh i got like two hours of sleep last night

Lance woke up two hours later with the feeling that something was very, very wrong. 

Shaking a bit, he rolled over to find himself face-to-face with his boyfriend. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out and nudged Hunk. He didn’t stir. Lance repeated this several times. 

“Huh?” Hunk finally said once Lance succeeded. 

“I…” Lance started. He suddenly realized he had no explanation. “Something’s wrong,” he said simply.

In the dark, he watched as Hunk raised an eyebrow. “What is?”

Lance bit his lip. “Something.”

“Uh, okay.” Hunk pushed away from him, then sat up in bed.“What’s up?”

“Well, first of all,” Lance said, pushing himself up so that he was sitting as well. “You are a goddamn saint for not just telling me to go back to sleep. Thank you, dear.”

Hunk smiled and rolled his eyes. “What type of a person would I be if I didn’t support the love of my life, even at-” He glanced at their bedside table clock,“-3 in the morning?” His smile slowly faded to a look of concern. “So...tell me, what’s wrong?

Lance frowned and then shrugged. “I...I don’t know. But something isn’t right. It’s just a feeling I’m getting in my gut.”

Hunk reached out and took both his hands into his own. He rubbed circles on Lance’s knuckled with his thumbs. “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah,” Lance sighed. “I just woke up and suddenly...I don’t know.” 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here for you.”

Lance gave him a grateful but shaky smile, then slowly took his hands back. “I’m sorry,” he said, and he swung his legs around the side of the bed. “Go back to sleep. I’m going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be back in a minute or two.”

“Want me to come with you?” Hunk asked, concern written all across his face. He then realized what he said. “I mean, if you’re not peeing or anything. Like if you’re just going in there to calm down.”

“No, it’s fine,” Lance said with a laugh, suddenly feeling a bit better. “I’m good. I just want to splash some water on my face.”

Hunk’s face relaxed. “Oh, okay. I’ll be here when you get back.”

“I would hope so,” Lance said with a fond eye roll, and he started making his way to the bathroom adjacent to their room. Once inside, he shut the door behind him and then turned on the light.

His eyes adjusted as he leaned down and splashed some water on his face. He scrubbed at his eyes and then stared at himself for a moment in the mirror, subconsciously judging his own choice in pajamas. He smiled at that, suddenly noticing the anxious feeling was gone. He felt more awake now, and more calm. 

He then took a step away from the mirror. 

That’s when he noticed it. 

“What….?” he muttered, in a hushed tone of horror. He blinked a few times, staring at his body, and then poked at the large patch of discoloration on his skin. 

“Hunk,” he heard himself say. “Hunk.” It was louder this time. “Hunk!”

A full six seconds passed before the bathroom door came flying open and his boyfriend was suddenly there.

“What’s wrong?!” he asked, looking ready to fight someone. He looked Lance up and down, squinting, eyes obviously not having adjusted to the light yet. “Are you hurt?”

Lance swallowed hard and then held out his arms shakily. Hunk blinked a few times, and then stepped forward. He grasped Lance’s arms gently with his hands and is face twisted into an expression of concern. 

“What the hell is this?” he asked in a hoarse tone. He took a finger and prodded at a patch on Lance’s arm. “What happened?”

Patches of discoloration were all up and down Lance’s arms. They stood out starkly against his handsome dark skin, lighter and unhealthy looking. It didn’t even look like  _ skin _ in some places, but more like a an angry and almost bubbly rash. In some places it looked  _ melted _ . 

Lance had seen something like this before, once when he was eleven and he tried to pull a pie out of the oven unthinkingly without mits, and he still had the scars on his fingers as remembrances.

Burn marks. And fresh ones, by the looks of them. 

His eyes then slid over to see his boyfriend’s arms.

“They’re on you too!” he exclaimed. He broke his arms out of Hunk’s grip, only to immediately grasp one of his boyfriend’s arms in return. He held out his free hand right next to Hunk’s. “They’re the same markings.”

Hunk stared down at their arms in disbelief. 

“What  _ is  _ this?” he muttered, voice low and filled with apprehension. “We both have it - you don’t think -?”

“These aren’t from you, right?” Lance interrupted. “We both have the same scars and everything, but this...this wasn’t me.”

Hunk shook his head. “It’s not me either. I’m pretty sure I would have noticed if I had gotten burned sometime today.”

Lance took a shaky breath. “What do you think this means?”

“Well, normally, I would’ve thought it meant you got in a terrible accident but….” Hunk shook his head. “But right now I’m thrown. I don’t know what this is.”

“Should we...like, Google it or something?” Lance stared down at their arms apprehensively again. “It could be like a an allergic reaction to something?”

“An allergic reaction that we both have?”

“I don’t know! But I don’t see you coming up with any ideas.”

Hunk sighed. “Let’s just….schedule a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, or something. It’s 3 AM and we both know that you gotta be up in a few hours for your first class.”

“But-” Lance started to protest.

“Hey,” Hunk said softly, taking him by the hand and shushing with a finger to his lips. “It’s not causing us a problem at the moment, right? Then we can ignore it for a while.”

Lance bit his lip. “You’re taking this surprising well for someone who usually freaks out about everything.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Hunk laughed. “Like I said, it’s 3 AM.  I don’t think my brain has properly processed this yet.”

Lance offered him. “Alright. We can talk about this more tomorrow. Let’s just go back to sleep for now.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying.”

Lance playfully shoved him. “Shut up.”

Hunk rolled his eyes good-naturedly at Lance, and then the two of them went back to their bedroom, shutting off the bathroom lights behind them. They clamoured to bed, eyes now not used to the dark, and accidentally got tangled in the blanket when they tried to get back in. The two of them struggled for a moment, then eventually were able to lay down.

Lance curled up to Hunk’s side, and he felt Hunk wrap a protective arm around him. He rest his head on his shoulder. “So….” he said, tone of voice reminiscent of that kid at a sleepover that just wouldn’t shut up, “what  _ do  _ you think it is?”

Hunk huffed, eyes closed, but answered in a neutral tone nonetheless. “I have no idea, Lance. It’s not something I’ve ever seen before.”

“I know,” Lance insisted. “It’s just, do you have any ideas?”

Hunk was quiet for a moment, then he spoke. “Well...yeah, one actually. But it’s just based on some dumb theory I read a while back online. It’s probably not true.”

Lance shifted his head so that his face was upturned towards his boyfriend. “What’s the theory?”

“Just….something about the whole soulmate situation. I don’t really remember much about it now.”

“Oh, okay.” Lance let his head drop. “Promise to explain it more in the morning?”

Though it was dark, he could imagine Hunk smiling at that. “Sure, now goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Lance waited a moment. “Love you.”

He felt Hunk’s arm squeeze him a bit tighter. “Love you too.”

* * *

 

 

The doctor ran his hands up and down Lance’s arm for the second time, then looked up at him with a puzzled expression. “I’m sorry, but I still don’t see what’s wrong.”

Lance refrained from huffing, though that was rather hard to do seeing as this quack had been testing his patience for the past twenty minutes. “There are burn marks on my arm,” he said through gritted teeth. “Fresh burn marks. And I wasn’t burned.”

“Are you sure your soulmate just didn’t get into an accident?”

“I know who my soulmate is,” Lance explained for the fourth time. “I already told you. He wasn’t in any accident either, but he has the same marks on his arm too. We just want to know what’s going on.”

The doctor shrugged, almost bored. “Is your soulmate here today?”

“You saw him before you saw me,” Lance sighed. “He’s in the waiting room if you want me to bring him in.”

“Ah,” the doctor said, frowning suddenly. “You mean...that guy with the headband on?”

Lance frowned too. “Yeah….?”

“Darn, I thought he was single,” the doctor joked. Lance just stared at him. He coughed awkwardly when he saw Lance wasn’t amused. “Yeah, we can bring him in to compare the marks.”

Lance went out to the waiting room, where Hunk was sitting by the receptionist’s desk and squinting down at his phone. No one else was in there except for the two of them, so Lance just walked right over and poked him on the shoulder.

Hunk jumped when he felt Lance beside him. “Jesus,” he swore. “Give me a heart attack, why don’t you?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “The doc wants to see both of us now.”

“Oh okay.” Hunk shoved his phone in his pocket. “Lead the way.”

Lance went back through the door separating the waiting room and the patients’ rooms, and led Hunk down the hallway to Room 5. “He doesn’t seem to know what it is,” he said after a moment. He bit his lip. “I’m getting kinda concerned about this.”

Hunk reached out and took Lance by the hand. “Hey, whatever it is, we’ll be okay, okay?” He gave his hand a squeeze. “Now, c’mon. If he wanted us both in there then he must have some idea of what it is.”

“But he already examined us both.” They had reached the room now, and it was empty. They went inside. Lance took the observation table, crinkling the paper on it as he sat down, and Hunk hopped on one of the chairs pushed against the wall. Lance leaned dramatically across the table, making sure to show off his arms. “I mean, just look at this! You’d think the answers would be pretty clear if it was something this big.”

An awkward cough at the door made both of their heads turn.

“I was thinking about running some tests,” the doctor said, walking in awkwardly. He pulled a sharpie out of his pocket. “First volunteer?”

Hunk held out his arm first. “Go ahead.”

It was fairly typical in society to write on someone’s arm to see if you were their soulmate, and to hope that the same writing would appear on yours. The practice probably stemmed from those people who had not met via skin communication, but rather through more environmental causes. 

There were always those who didn’t have soulmates, also, but desperately hoped that they did. They typically were the main practitioners of this soul-mate-finding method, and usually performed it in hopes that the random person they picked would be their soulmate. 

Because of this, Lance had sort of an idea of what the doctor meant by ‘tests’ but he was pretty sure he was just testing to see if Lance and Hunk were actually soulmates. Not because he doubted them, Lance told himself despite how the doctor’s comment earlier was still eating at him, but probably because of the new markings on their arms. 

A bunch of scribbled soon appeared on Lance’s wrist, and he looked up to see the doctor doodling on Hunk. He looked over when he felt Lance watching them, and Lance held up his wrist to show him. The doctor nodded. 

“Your turn,” he said, letting Hunk’s arm drop and going over to Lance.

Lance held out his opposite arm and let the doctor draw on him. Hunk held up his arm and showed that the markings had appeared on him as well. 

“Well, you two don’t have Uxor’s Sydrome,” he said, puzzled look on his face. “If you did, that might explain it. It’s a skin disease where you stop receiving the messages your soulmate sends you due to currently inexplicable reasons, and it causes some discoloration sometimes.”

“Told you he knew what he was talking about,” Hunk said out of the corner of his mouth. The doctor didn’t hear, but Lance did. He felt the urge to stick his tongue at his boyfriend.

“There’s really only one other syndrome I can think of,” the doctor continued, staring up at the ceiling as he pondered. “But neither of you really have the symptoms of it. Soulmate-message related diseases are typically rare. Unless….”

He trailed off, and his eyes suddenly widened. 

“I will be right back,” he said suddenly, and then he was gone. 

Lance crossed his arms and huffed. “Five bucks says he actually has no idea what’s going on.”

“We share a bank account, dear,” Hunk said with an eyeroll. “But you’re on.”

Lance hopped up off the table, then went over to the door. “I wanna see what he’s doing.” He cracked it open just a smidge and peeked out. “I can see his back.”

“You’re being a snoop,” Hunk commented. 

“He’s our doctor, dealing with our health,” Lance snapped back playfully, looking away from the door for a second. He then glanced back out. “I think I’m allowed to --  _ oh my god _ .”

“What?”

“He’s checking his phone!”

“So?”

“So? So, what!” Lance shut the door and hopped back on his counter, looking a little pissed off. “We’re in the middle of an appointment and he’s stopping to check twitter!”

“Maybe he just got a text from someone important?” Hunk said with a shrug. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Before Lance could respond, there was a knock at the closed door. A second later, the doctor came in back in, patting his front pocket where he most likely stored his phone. 

“Gentlemen, I have a rather...interesting theory about what your condition may be,” he said. “You may want to sit down for this."

“We are sitting,” Lance fired back.

The doctor reminded unperturbed. “Together. This may be some shocking news.”

Lance huffed and hopped down off the table. He sat down next to Hunk on another chair pushed against the wall, and Hunk took his hand to quell his annoyance. Hunk was staring at the doctor with such a serious and concerned face Lance wondered if he himself should be taking it more seriously. 

The doctor sat down as well, on a wheely stool. He stared at them for a second, then sighed. “This may...not be the type of news you want to hear. But if I’m correct….” he trailed off, and Lance was sure he was doing it for theatrics.

“Is one of us dying?” Lance deadpanned. Hunk, however, just gripped his hand tighter instead of laughing, and Lance suddenly felt as though he had committed an unforgivable act. 

The doctor’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, not at all! In fact, you might even find this to be good news depending on your perspective.”

“Okay, so what is it?” 

The doctor sighed dramatically again. “I just checked our medical archives…..”

Lance bit back a biting comment as the doctor trailed off again. He wondered vaguely if ‘medical archives’ was synonymous for ‘Google search on my Android’ nowadays.

“....And,” the doctor picked back up again. “There appears to be only one conclusion, if my facts are right.”

“And that is?” Lance prompted. Beside him, he felt Hunk tense in anticipation."

“Congratulations,” the doctor said, somehow trying to appear grim but happy at the same time, “you two have  _ another  _ soulmate.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. I forgot to upload this Monday lol. Eh, better late than never. Next update will either be tomorrow or Thursday. (I still need to figure out the timing.)
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for the great reception this fic has received! Y'all are great <3
> 
> Oh by the way, the next chapter is the long-await Keith chapter.Hope y'all are excited. Prepare for a bit of angst. 
> 
> Hasta la later.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO I KNOW IT'S THE LONG-AWAITED KEITH CHAPTER BUT....I just wanted to explain something. Thank you to user Cedev that pointed this out! In chapter one, Lance's mom calls him "papi". For those who don't know, "papi" is a term of endearment used by some (but not all) Spanish-speaking people for their sons, and an English equivalent would be something like "honey/sweetheart". I have heard my Latinx friends be called this by their own mothers, and I even asked them about this before putting in this fic. Okay, just wanted to explain just in case some people didn't know!
> 
> Anyways, on wards with the Keith chapter!

The first thing Keith probably noticed was that he wasn’t wearing any underwear.

The next was that he was in bed, with several tubes sticking out of arm, and that he couldn’t get up.

The third thing was the pain.

“God fucking dammit,” he muttered as everything suddenly came zooming into hyperfocus, with his body hurting everywhere, the lights being too bright, and the painful smell of disinfectant burning his nostril. “God fucking damaaaaaaaa…..”

He trailed off as he suddenly found it hard to talk.

He blinked a few times, and squinted in the light. It was still hard to see, but he was pretty sure he was in a hospital room. He swallowed hard and noticed his throat was very, very dry.

How long had he been out?

Some movement to his left made him turn his head on his pillow. There, through his fuzzy vision, he watched as a familiar shape of a person stirred and slowly raised their head.

“Good morning,” Shiro’s groggy voice said. Keith blinked a few more times but his vision didn’t improve. He heard Shiro sigh deeply. “Glad to see you’re awake, but I swear to god, if you weren’t already in such a sorry state, I’d murder you myself for all the stress you’ve put me through for the past few days.”

 _Days_?

“...But I love you too much to do that to you, lil bro.” He heard Shiro chuckle, and then watched as his fuzzy form stood up and stretched. “I should probably get a nurse.”

“Wha…?” Keith tried.

Shiro looked down at him. “Don’t talk. They got you hopped up on all sorts of painkillers because you wouldn’t stop thrashing around in your sleep because everything hurt, apparently. You’d think you’d be more peaceful while in a coma, but _no_ , not you.”

If Keith could, he would stuck his middle finger up at Shiro. But he settled for sticking out his tongue instead.

He was pretty sure Shiro stuck out his tongue back. “I’ll explain everything when I get back. Wait here.”

“Duh,” Keith managed out.

Shiro shook his head. “You’re going to make me go gray young.”

 _Already there_ , Keith thought, thinking of that dumb white tuft of hair his brother had on the top of his undercut.

With Shiro gone, he closed his eyes again and tried to access his damage. His legs seemed to be functional, seeing as they didn’t really hurt as so much ache, and he could flex his feet and wiggle his toes. His torso was a different issue, but it had the same dull ache that his legs did -- just with a tube going into it as well.

His head and neck hurt, but otherwise his upper part was fine. His vitals seemed okay, as well as his, _ahem_ , privates. The only thing that remained were his arms, which he couldn’t move for some odd reason…..

A quick wiggle of his fingers soon told him why. A burning sensation shot up his arm and tears formed in his eyes as the stinging sensation persisted even as it died down. So, yeah...there was that. But luckily, he hoped, that was the extent of his damage.

Shiro came back with a nurse a short while later. Things were a bit less fuzzy and achy by then, but that all changed when the nurse replaced his painkillers. He was coherent enough to still make out what they were saying, however, despite the fact he was now seeing double.

“So...it was a car accident,” Shiro said in a low voice once the nurse left. Keith was hearing him from his left, where he presumably had nestled back into his chair. “Or, really, a motorcycle accident. I guess mom was right. Those things _are_ dangerous.”

Keith could hear the smile in Shiro’s voice remembering their late mother.

“Anyways,” he continued. “You were beaten up pretty bad. A little internal bleeding, but otherwise you’re fine. Oh, and your arms. Your arms are fucked. They got caught in the engine fire your bike made when it collided with that pickup. I’m not even sure how, but I was told you felt from your bike and landed in a pretty odd position.”

“B-bike?” Keith managed out, hoping Shiro would get his meaning.

Shrio sighed. “Sorry….your bike is kinda dead. I don’t think we can repair it.” His tone suddenly changed. “On the other hand, the other driver somehow escaped without a scratch and just a huge dent in his front. Not sure how, but at least we don’t have to go to court.” He laughed a bit, but trailed off. “You were deemed responsible in the accident report.”

Keith let out a low groan.

Keith felt Shiro pat on the shoulder -- which made him wince -- but he didn’t seem to notice. “But it’s okay. Like I said, we don’t have to go to court.”

Keith made a sound of agreement and closed his eyes. The glaring lights of the hospital room were becoming too much again.

“...I should probably let you sleep,” Shiro said quietly. “Like, you did just come out of a seventy-two hour coma, but I can understand if you’re tired.”

“Go home,” Keith mumbled, knowing that if he was out for seventy-two hours then Shiro had probably stayed there for seventy-two hours. “Sleep.”

Shiro sighed, “I just might be able to, knowing you’re awake now.”

“Go,” Keith said again.

“Fine, fine.” Shiro didn’t move. “In a few minutes.”

Keith rolled his eyes behind his closed lids. “Whatever,” he tried to say, but it came out more like as “waeva”.

He felt Shiro very gently touch his hand, so gently that it didn’t even jar his burns. “Glad to have you back, lil bro.”

 _I’m sorry_ , Keith thought to himself as the pain meds really began kicking in. He was out like a light within seconds.

 

* * *

 

 

The next few days were hell for Keith, despite how they mainly consisted of him going in and out of consciousness. Shiro visited almost every day, and he was pretty sure his friend Pidge, along with her brother Matt, stopped in at some point but he had been too hopped up on his meds to notice.

His tubes were changed regularly too, and burn ointment was applied to his arms nearly every half hour. This was somewhat embarrassing because it meant the nurses had to remove his hospital gown somewhat, but at least he was able to get up and move about now.

The days kinda still blurred together though. Shiro had assured him that he had been properly call out of work and was on injury recovery leave, so he would still have a job when he got out.

One day, when one of his more favorite and sarcastic nurses, Nyma, was changing the light wrappings on his arm, she let out a small surprised gasp. “You have a message,” she said.

Keith blinked at her, medicated brain trying to process what she said. “Oh?”

Nyma rolled her eyes. “On your arm, dingus. A soulmate message.”

Keith frowned. “I don’t have a soulmate.”

“Then what’s this?” Nyma lifted his sore arm for him to see. She pointed to his wrist, where a small drawing of something was. “It’s a heart.”

Keith blinked a few more times in confusion. “Nah.”

Nyma placed his arm down and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

She then finished up her job, ruffled Keith’s hair, and then let him be for a while so he could zonk out again. She muttered something about lowering his dosage of pain meds while she left.

And that was the start of it, Keith supposed. Or, at least, the first incident he could remember.

 

* * *

 

That first time didn’t seem to be the end of it though.

Every time a nurse would come in to change his bandages or IVs, they would point out little markings on his skin. At first, he didn’t see them because his vision was so fuzzy. But then, if he focused for a while (and when Nyma actually did cut his dosage in half) he saw them pretty clearly. It was hard not to, considering they were drawn in bold black sharpie.

At first, Keith thought someone was fucking with him. In all his life he had never received a soulmate message, so he actually did have a reason to be doubtful. However, as the time went on, he really did start to believe he had a soulmate. Especially when he watched the drawings appear on his skin in real time.

He would position his arm, which was still somewhat painful to move but bearable, and watch as first small little lines would appear up and down his forearm. Next, those lines would be crossed with some other ones, and then some more. A pattern would then appear on his skin, and then random parts of it would be filled out.

It didn’t mean anything, nor did it appear to have an significance other than that maybe his soulmate got bored and just decided to doodle on their arm. But it was mesmerizing to watch, like one of those ‘extremely satisfying’ videos he was attracted to on YouTube, and even a bit soothing. He liked to watch his soulmate draw on him.

And, yes, he did kinda accept it at that point.

The thing was though, that there seemed to be some slight differences in the things his soulmate drew sometime, as if their penmanship suddenly changed overnight. Sometimes, it was big and bold, and all the lines were thick with whatever they drew. Their creations were nothing too detailed, and were usually just something good for giving Keith a little smile, but that was it. Stuff like smiley faces and hearts.

Then at other times, the art was cramped, small, and seemed to be pressed hard against his soulmate’s skin when they originally drew it. When the penmanship was like that, Keith could expect the patterns he liked to watch to appear.

It was such a change in mood and atmosphere, but it took Keith quite a while to notice. So long, in fact, that it was actually the first day he was home from the hospital and was sitting up in a chair in his living room, where the light was okay and not as offensive as the hospital room.

And it was that day Keith actually has fast access to a pen, one that was sitting on the coffee table right in front of him.

A pattern started to appear on his left arm, while on his right those little smiley faces and hearts were drawn. He was confused as to how his soulmate was doing these both at the same time, but he knew that it made one thing clear; if he contacted them now, they would be sure to see it.

Gripping the pen tightly, almost nervously, Keith pressed the tip of it on an unburned area on his arm. He hesitated for a moment, staring down at that patch of blank skin as other drawings popped up around it. It was like it was welcoming him, reserving that place just for him to write. He took a deep breath.

 _Hi, I’m Keith_ , he wrote. _I believe you are my soulmate._

 

* * *

 

Keith was a pretty isolated kid. With a brother nearly ten years old than him, a mother that worked all the time, and an absent father, he found himself alone most of the time. That was okay with him, however. As long as the cabinets had some instant mac and cheese, and the TV kept playing his favorite cartoons, he was content with coming home to an empty house every day. In fact, he even enjoyed it sometimes.

But sometimes he hated it. Sometimes, he craved the connection he saw so many people had at school. Sometimes, watching his favorite cartoons which were often about navigating the ways of friendship made him feel lonely. Sometimes, he wished he had someone to share his shitty mac and cheese dinner with, like how he saw families did on TV.

He didn’t have friends. People were just either too loud, or too bright, or too confusing for him. His mother had told him that was because he was a bit ‘different’ from everyone else, but his therapist told him it was because he had autism. He didn’t care either way, though. Neither of those things were bad things -- in fact, it was other people’s fault that he couldn’t make friends. They were the ones that were too extreme.

He loved his brother, but his brother was barely home. He was a busy high school kid, juggling AP classes, college applications, band, some sports Keith didn’t care about to learn about, a social life, a job, and debilitating depression. So, really, he contributed to Keith being lonely as well.

Keith was about nine when he first heard about soulmates, which was a bit odd for him considering he only found out by his brother loudly exclaiming that he had known about his own -- some guy named Slav -- since he was five. It confused him as to why no one had explained this concept to him before, when Shiro had figured it out so young, but he was good at putting the pieces together. With enough context, Keith was pretty sure he knew what the whole soulmate thing was about.

Basically, you wrote on your arm. And then, more writing would appear on your arm. Writing that you didn’t do. It would be from another person, that was basically your soulmate. And, then, you could talk to them like that, and even make plans to meet up and and hang out and have a playdate together! An, honestly? That sounded damn near heaven to Keith, who was starved for any sort of interaction.

So, one day, when he was inevitably home alone again, he tried it. He took a washable marker (so his mother wouldn’t yell at him later about ink poisoning, or whatever), and wrote and big ‘ _HI_ ’ in block letters on the inside of his forearm. He eagerly waited.

A minute passed. Nothing appeared. He wasn’t deterred though -- maybe his soulmate was just busy! -- so he decided to do some chores for a while so he had something to do while he waited. They were just busy, he told himself.

They were just busy.

A half hour passed as Keith scrubbed some dishes. He was almost done too, and was now thinking about watching some cartoons while he waited for his soulmate to reply. To his dismay, the soapy water he had been cleaning with had rubbed away his original message, so while he flicked on the TV to some random Cartoon Network show, he hunted down another marker.

The message he had written had been in blue, but for some reason now he could only find a yellow marker. It would work, he supposed, but maybe it wouldn’t show up very well. He shrugged off that concern and wrote another very large ‘ _HI_ ’, this time with a smiley face next to it. He waited.

When his mom and brother got home, his soulmate still hadn’t replied. This, he reasoned, it was probably due to the yellow marker. Yellow didn’t show up very well on anyone’s skin, so his soulmate probably didn’t see. He would try again the next day with a darker color.

 _HI_ , he wrote the next morning on his arm in red ink, blatantly ignoring his teacher’s lesson as he stared intently at his arm. He decided to try to further the conversation, just incase his soulmate was shy and needed some prompting. _My name is Keith! What’s yours?_

And he waited.

At lunch time later day, when he sat in the back of the cafeteria alone like he usually did, he tried again. This time, he wrote in black ink.

 _Hey_ , he wrote. _I’m Keith._

And he waited.

Still nothing.

 _It’s me, Keith_ , he wrote again. _Your soulmate. I am your soulmate._

He had a sinking feeling in his gut that wouldn’t go away. Despite it being warm outside that day, he went to his locker and grabbed the jacket Shiro had forced him to take that morning. He wore it for the rest of the day, and resolutely refused to peek at his arm.

He just had to wait, he told himself.

His soulmate was probably busy, he told himself.

They would respond, he told himself.

But they never did.

 

* * *

 

 

As Keith got older, he found it was not unheard of for a person to not to have a soulmate. Sure, that didn’t make him feel like any less of a freak, but he learned to accept it. Not having a soulmate didn’t mean he couldn’t have friends, or even fall in love. In retrospect, the whole concept of having a soulmate was pretty restricting and outdated.

Or, at least that’s what he told himself in the long hours of the night when he sat up and wondered _why, why, why, oh god, why didn’t he have a soulmate? Romantic or platonic, he hardly cared. Just why didn’t he have one?_

He stopped writing on his arm by the time he hit middle school, hopes long crushed and spirit long dead. He knew now that he would never get anything back. And while he wasn’t happy about that, he could live with it.

There was one final thing he did write on his arm, though. As a last chance for his soulmate to magically appear and reveal themself.

 _Hey, it’s me again_ , he had wrote, after one long night of bitterness and tears. _I’m not sure if you’re my soulmate. I’m not sure if I care. I’m not going to write to you again. I know you won’t write back. But if you somehow do, get back to me if you reach me. When you reach me. I hope you reach me. See ya. - Keith_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :(


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are a-startin'.

The next few days were rather tense between Lance and Hunk. While neither of them were home together much, Hunk felt as though they were in a sort of long-lasting silent fight, and the thought somewhat scared him. He and Lance had never fought before, and they’d always been able to resolve issues quick in the past. But now Lance wouldn’t even talk to him. 

It was a Wednesday night -- the night the two of them usually had off together -- when Hunk came home to find the apartment empty. He felt a slight pang of hurt, but tried to shrug it off. Lance was upset, obviously, and he just needed his space. 

With a sigh, he sent Lance a quick text telling him he was home and that he would be waiting for him if he wanted to order takeout like they usually did. He waited a few minutes and got no reply, so he just tossed his phone down on their coffee table and tried to forgot about it for a while. 

Since Lance wasn’t home, he might as well make dinner, he figured. He’d make something his boyfriend liked, just incase he did come home that night and was just running late. With that idea in mind, Hunk went into the kitchen and was set to work.

Just as he was reaching up into a cabinet to grab out some ramen (they were broke college students after all), he saw a little squiggle appear on his arm. He pulled back his sleeve and watched a little doodle of a happy-looking snake -- no wait, an angry snake? It had sharp teeth -- appeared on his arm. Ramen forgotten, he hunted down a pen quick and then pressed the tip directly beneath the doodle. 

_ Ha, cute _ , he wrote, and hoped this was Lance’s way of lightening the mood before he walked in the door.

A second passed before he got a reply. 

_ Thanks _ , it said, and Hunk frowned when he saw it wasn’t Lance’s handwriting.

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. The other soulmate. Feeling a bit like a jerk, and kind of awkward considering this was the first time they had directly interacted, he hesitated before answering. 

_ Hi _ , he wrote. He figured that was a good start.

_ Hi _ , appeared back on his arm.  _ My name is Keith. _

_ My name is Hunk _ , Hunk wrote back after a moment.  _ So, how are you? _

He figured that was a simple enough conversation starter.

_ Okay, I guess, _ Keith replied _. Just got out of the hospital a few days ago.  _

_ I can tell _ , Hunk wrote back. He then doodled a little arrow to the nearest burn scar.  _ What the hell happened? _

_ Motorcycle accident _ , Keith wrote around his scars.  _ My arms like...flew out in front of me when I crashed into this truck and they got burned as my engine went up in flames. Or at least that’s what my brother told me. _

_ That’s rough, buddy, _ Hunk wrote back, shuddering at thought. 

There was a moment before Keith replied.  _ Sorry _ .

Hunk frowned, and twisted his arm around so there was more room to write.  _ For what? _

_ Yknow.  _ Keith seemed to pause for a moment.  _ Burning your arms too.  _

Hunk stared down at his arm for a moment before replying.  _ It’s okay. It looks kinda cool, actually. Sorry you got hurt, though.  _

Keith replied after a moment.  _ Thanks.  _

Hunk wasn’t sure what to say next, but before he got the chance to even think about what to scribble down, Keith starting writing a novel on his left arm. 

_ Okay, so, I’m sorry but I have so many questions _ , the hurried scrawl read out.  _ First of all, where the hell have you been all my life? How come you only started writing to me after my accident? Why didn’t you respond to the message I left you a few days ago? Didn’t you see it? Do you have that Uxlerer’s Syndrome or whatever it’s called that prevents you from getting your soulmate’s messages? Wha _

Getting slightly overwhelmed, Hunk drew a big “X” right where Keith was about to write next. His messages stopped, and Hunk guessed he was waiting for an answer.

With a sigh, Hunk took a moment and tried to figure out just what the hell he was going to say. He turned over his arm, and began to write on his mostly clear forearm.

_ I don’t know _ , he wrote.  _ I’m sorry. I have a theory on all this, but I’m still not to sure about it. And yeah, I do have Anteros Disease (kinda like Uxler’s) but it was never really a problem with my other soulmate. We didn’t even know you existed until a few days ago. _

There was a paused before he got a response. 

_ Other soulmate?  _ Keith wrote back.  _ We? _

Hunk bit his lip, wondering how he would explain it.  _ Yeah. There’s two of us. Me and Lance. We’re all soulmates, I guess.  _

_ That’s not possible _ , Keith wrote back and Hunk could almost hear the disbelief in his words. 

_ Well...it is. It’s pretty rare, but there’s been at least fifteen documented cases in the last ten years _ , Hunk wrote back,  _ Or that’s at least what our doctor told us.  _

Keith didn’t respond for a few minutes. When he did, it was on Hunk’s leg and Hunk only happened to see it by chance because he was wearing shorts. Sitting on the floor, he pulled up the right leg of his shorts and watched as Keith left another essay on his thigh.

_ I don’t believe you _ , was the first thing he wrote down.  _ Well, I don’t believe you yet. I’ve gone my whole life thinking I didn’t have a soulmate, okay? And now I’ve got TWO? I don’t understand this. Any of this. I’m not even sure if you’re real or if you’re just some sort of lingering hallucination from the drugs they had me on at the hospital.  _

Keith paused, and Hunk pressed his pen down to respond, but Keith cut him off before he could start. 

_ I think I could believe you, though _ , he wrote.  _ If that makes sense. Just...give me time, okay? I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry. I just realized you already have a soulmate, if you’re telling the truth. And he’s probably seeing all this right now. Oh god. I’m so sorry.  _

Hunk waited a moment, then replied.  _ You have nothing to be sorry for.  _

He wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say, but it felt like it. And it was true; Keith really didn’t have anything to be sorry for. He never asked for this. 

Hunk stared at his leg for a long time, waiting for Keith to respond. A shaky line started to appear on Hunk’s leg, but it appeared as though Keith gave up halfway. Hunk sighed. He felt as though whatever conversation they’d been having was now over. 

Hunk watched his leg for a few more minutes then got up. He started to make dinner for himself and (hopefully, if he came home early enough) Lance. 

He didn’t see the small and cramped word that appeared on his leg only moments after he stood up. 

_ Thanks.  _

* * *

 

 

Lance felt like he was going to throw up. 

Over and over, he read the lines written on his arms and legs. The first one, written in a familiar and comforting handwriting, was always a stab to the heart. He felt sick just  _ thinking  _ about it. 

_ Ha, cute _ , he read in Hunk’s cramped and adorable handwriting. 

Cute.  _ Cute _ .

Lance didn’t consider himself the jealous type, but that was a goddamn lie he told himself. He was totally the jealous type. Anything and everything set him off, and while he was sure it had something to do with his low self-esteem he would never admit to having, it  _ killed  _ him. He didn’t want to be the jealous type. 

He trusted Hunk. He believed in him. Hell, he  _ loved  _ him. And he knew his boyfriend would never cheat on him, or do anything to intentionally hurt him. Lance knew it, but that didn’t stop the irrational part of his brain from throwing a panic-party every time something mildly not-good happened. 

There was this one time, when he and Hunk were in high school, and they were at the school dance. Lance had left for one second to say hi to some other friends, but when he came back he saw some younger and blushing girl asking Hunk if he wanted to dance. 

Lance had been about to storm over there and rip his boyfriend away from that little harpy, to passionately make-out with him to assert some sort of, well, assertion that Hunk was already spoken for. But as he was about to, Hunk gave a small laugh and took her proffered hand, leading her to the dance floor. 

Lance had felt as though the ground had fallen out beneath him, and suddenly breathing became hard. He stood there, rooted to the spot and suddenly his face felt wet. He wasn’t sure how or why, but he was crying. He was crying, and the tears just wouldn’t stop. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but in all the confusion he suddenly felt a familiar hand grip his own and then felt his body being led outside of the gym. A warm and comforting voice was saying something to him, but all he could hear was the sound of his own blood pumping through his ears. Everything was too much, happening so fast, and he didn’t have a clue of what was happening. 

And then he was in a car. Hunk’s mom’s car that she had lent the boys for the night. He was in the back, on the bench seat, and someone had their arms wrapped around him tight and was slowly stroking his hair. 

“It’s okay,” Hunk said to him, as everything started to come back into focus. “She’s just a friend, nothing more. I should have explained that to you first. I know how you get. I’m sorry.”

And Lance just cried some more, then hiccuped until he was done. Hunk didn’t let go of him the entire time. 

They had missed the dance that night, and Lance hated himself for that. Hunk had told him it wasn’t a big deal. But to Lance it was, and he never forgot that night. 

Lance knew he had no right or need to be jealous. Hunk hadn’t even been flirting with that other “soulmate” or anything, just having a normal conversation. Nothing alarming, nothing that warranted Lance sitting in a Burger King bathroom and having a panic attack as he watched the whole thing play out across his skin. 

But it did. Ever since the moment that quack of a doctor had told them they had another soulmate, something had changed. Maybe it was in their relationship, maybe it was in their soulmate bond thing, or maybe it was just in Lance. But something was now different between him and Hunk, and it would never be the same. 

And Lance just hoped that wasn’t a bad thing.

He needed a plan.

* * *

 

 

“I’m going to punch a fucking wall,” Keith snarled as he continued staring intently at his leg impatiently. “C’mon, c’mon...reply already.”

Shiro looked up from his phone, and sighed deeply. “Please. Do not punch a wall.”

Keith rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at him. “I can’t. Remember?” He held up a burn-cream and ink covered arm. “Well, I could. But it would hurt.”

“I reiterate.” Shiro sighed again. “Please. Do not. I will kill you if you injure yourself again.”

“Psssh, careful is my middle name.” Keith went back to staring at his leg, and then all but jumped when he saw some writing appear on it. He moved his pen so fast to his skin to reply that he accidentally stabbed himself. “Shit!”

Shiro looked up again with an exasperated expression. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Keith rubbed the little bleeding hole in his leg, hoping it would scab quick. “Just, ah, a  _ message _ .”

Shiro frowned. “You know...you haven’t received a soulmate message in all your life, and suddenly after the accident you’re getting them? What gives?”

“I have no clue,” Keith said. He paused before speaking again. “Their name is Hunk.”

“Hunk?” Shiro raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know,” Keith huffed. “It’s probably a nickname or something.”

Shiro shrugged and went back to looking at his phone. “Whatever.”

Keith rolled his eyes and looked down at his leg. He frowned when he saw the handwriting was different, all big and loopy. His frown deepened when he actually read the words. 

_ Hi, this is Lance _ , his thigh read.  _ Hunk’s asleep so he won’t see this when I wash it off in a few minutes. I want to make this quick.  _

Keith wasn’t sure what to say, but he responded with an ‘ _ okay?’ _

_ Good _ , Lance wrote back.  _ As you know, I am Hunk’s soulmate.  _

A million things ran through Keith’s mind on what to respond with, but he chose to go with something simple.  _ So you saw our conversation earlier? _

_ It appears on my skin too, dude. Duh. _

Keith could practically picture Lance rolling his eyes at him, despite not knowing what he looked like.  _ Okay, fair enough _ , Keith wrote back.  _ I recognize that Hunk is your soulmate. But apparently, he’s also mine. And so are you, I guess.  _

_ Yeah, about that _ , Lance wrote.  _ Cut that bullshit out.  _

Keith frowned.  _ What? _

_ Listen, man, me and my boyfriend don’t know you that well, okay?  _ Lance’s handwriting got a bit sloppy, and it seemed like he was writing fast.  _ I get that we may be ‘soulmates’ or whatever, but don’t go throwing that term around so lightly. He and I are soulmates. You’re a stranger.  _

Keith felt his stomach drop, and he swallowed hard.  _ Fair enough _ , he wrote. 

_ We could all be platonic soulmates for all we know _ , Lance continued.  _ But don’t let that get you down, okay? Hunk and I are a privilege to know, let alone be metaphysically bonded to. You’re #blessed for having this connection to us.  _

Keith stared at Lance’s words incredulously. 

Lance now started writing on his other thigh, having run out of room on the first.  _ But...okay. That doesn’t mean I’m not willing to give you a chance.  _

Keith frowned, this time in confusion.  _ What? _

_ Look _ , Lance wrote.  _ I’m being kinda an asshole for my own reasons right now. It’s not right, but I can’t help it. You know what that’s like?  _

Keith wanted to disagree, but in all honesty he couldn’t. Controlling his emotions had never been his strong point either.

_ Yeah _ , he wrote back. 

_ Great _ , Lance replied.  _ So...pardon this shitty introduction. I know this wasn’t exactly nice, and I can’t promise I’ll be nice in the future. But...if we’re really all in this together, I figured I might as well get to know you.  _

Keith stared down at his leg, blinking.  _ Okay.  _

_ Okay _ , Lance wrote back.  _ But there’s gonna be a few rules, capeesheesh? _

Keith raised an eyebrow.  _ Capeesheesh? _

_ Idk how to spell it _ , Lance replied.  _ Capiipeach?? Capisssss??? Quiche??? Idk. But do you get my drift? _

_ Yeah, sure. _ Keith suddenly realized something.  _ Did you mean capisce? _

_ Fuck you _ , Lance wrote back.  _ Okay, switching to my stomach because my legs and arms are filled. Roll up your shirt.  _

Keith complied, and he got a weirded out look from Shiro across the room as he did so. Ignoring his brother, Keith watched as Lance wrote an essay across the slight pudge that was his stomach. 

_ Okay so some rules in regarding contacting me and my boyfriend _ , Lance wrote.  _ Seriously this may seem unfair or just mean, but it’ll make me a lot more comfortable. Rule #1: No flirting with us. Yet. Maybe never. Time will tell, okay? _

_ Okay _ , Keith wrote back.  

_ Rule #2: No more getting injured. Jesus, dude, we see that shit too.  _

Keith felt himself smirk for some reason, and he gave an amused snort.  _ Done and done.  _

_ Great _ , Lance wrote back.  _ Now the final rule. It’s gonna be a tough one. You can handle it, right? _

_ Sure _ , Keith responded. 

_ No falling in love with us :P _ , Lance wrote.  _ I know we’re IRRESISTIBLE.  _

Keith smiled.  _ Seems easy enough. _

There was a pause before Lance responded.  _ Haha, sure _ , he wrote. _ But on a more serious note, Hunk and I have known each practically all our lives. That doesn’t just disappear overnight, even if the three of us DO turn out to be romantic soulmates with each other. This rule is more for your benefit than mine. Do you get what I mean? _

Keith’s stared at the words on his stomach, suddenly feeling sick. 

_ Yeah _ , he wrote back.  _ I understand.  _

_ Great _ , Lance replied after a second.  _ Excellent. You’re a real team player, man. _ There was a pause. _ Now, on another note. Do you have a Discord? _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoooo boy. Yeah. Here's the chapter. The next one will be hopefully up tomorrow? I hope. Also, this fic is probably going to be a bit longer than 7 chapters, due to some poor planning on my part lol. I would apologize, but honestly I've always found having more fanfic to read is the opposite of a problem. 
> 
> Oh so about Lance -- I'm not trying to make out to be the bad guy here, capisce? (lol) He's just responding to this in a way I believe he would in compliance to his canon personality. Also, he's opened minded so he is going to try to get to know Keith before passing too much REAL judgement on him (as opposed to the superficial judgement he's already passed on him). Sorry, just wanted to clarify that because Lance is my fav and it makes me sad seeing people hate on him, so I wanted to clarify that I WASN'T hating on him by having him act that way towards Keith. 
> 
> Anyways, thank you all so much for all this wonderful feedback! Y'all are great.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdgfgnhgrfd this is another one of those "filler chapters" i guess

It was 3:37 AM when Pidge Holt was woken up by the sound of her phone buzzing. Normally, she would’ve quite just glanced at the screen and then tossed the damn thing across the room, but she saw that it was her friend Keith. Struggling between the urge to fall back asleep and to see what he was calling about, she decided on the latter

Just in case.

“Hello?” she said, holding her phone up to her ear. She sat up in bed. “Keith? What’s wrong?”

There was some heavy breathing on the other line, and then Keith spoke. “Do you know what Discord is?”

It took Pidge a moment to process what he said. “Discord?” She frowned. “It’s...it’s like Skype, except aimed at gamers. Why? Keith, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” There was a laugh on the other line. “Better than fine. Thanks Pidge! Love you.”

“Yeah, uh, love you too, dude.” Pidge sat in silence for a few moments. “Keith-”

She was cut off by the call ending.

* * *

 

 

A few hours later, when the sun was actually up and she could process things a bit better, Pidge called Keith back. The other end rang for nearly a minute before he picked up, and his voice was all groggy and sleepy sounding when he answered. 

“What’s up?” Keith asked, obviously suppressing a yawn. 

“I don’t know,” Pidge started harshly, not feeling an ounce of sympathy for him, “It’s just that my best friend called me at nearly 4 AM today to ask about some online message system and then hung up without an explanation.”

“Oh.” She heard Keith suck in a breath. “Sorry. I didn’t realize how early it was when I did that.”

“Yeah, okay.” Pidge leaned against her kitchen counter, waiting for the coffee she was making to brew. “Just...what the fuck, man? Don’t do that to me. I thought you were...well, I thought something was wrong.”

Keith was silent on the other end for a moment. “I’m sorry, Pidge,” he said. “I-I forgot that you were the person I called when -- when --”

Pidge felt her heart soften up a bit for her friend. “It’s...fine. Just as long as you’re okay. You are okay, right?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” She heard Keith give a small laugh. “Better than good. Excellent. Great.”

“That’s...good?” Pidge’s coffee finished brewing and she moved her phone to between her ear and shoulder. She poured herself a cup. “Uh, did getting a Discord have anything to do with that?”

“Actually, kinda!” Keith said. He sounded happy. Happier than she had heard him in a while. “It’s...a long story, but basically I found my soulmate?”

Pidge dropped the spoon she was using to put sugar into her coffee with. “What?”

“I know, right?” Keith laughed. “Sorry to drop this on you all of a sudden, but after the accident writing started to appear on my arms! Isn’t it weird? But my soulmate wanted to chat over Discord so we could have some longer conversations.”

“That’s….” Pidge struggled to find the right words. “...fucking bullshit, man.”

Keith was silent on the other line. “What?”

“All these years of not having a soulmate,” she started, “and now they just suddenly show up? What the hell? You go your  _ entire fucking life  _ thinking you don’t have one and…? I need to fight this guy.”

“...Why?”

“For not revealing themself to you until now and making you miserable!” Pidge huffed. “What the fuck!”

On the other line, Keith was laughing. “You’re a true friend, Pidge.”

“I’m your best friend.”

“You’re my only friend.”

“Fair enough.” Pidge stood there for a moment, then went back to fixing up her coffee. She wiped some sugar off the counter onto the floor. “But...seriously, who is your soulmate? What are they like? Did they not receive any soulmate messages from you either? Gimme the deets, man!”

She could practically hear the smile in Keith’s voice. “Honestly? You wanna hear all that stuff?”

“Fuck yeah man. I want to know so when I give my best lady speech at your wedding--”

“Best lady?”

“Like your best man but I’m a chick. But anyways, when I give my best lady speech--”

“Shiro would be my best man, Pidge,” Keith interrupted. “You can be like...my maid of honor.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Kogane. I’ll fight Shiro for this position,” Pidge huffed. “So,  _ as I was saying _ , when I give my best lady speech at your wedding, I want to remember this moment so I can include it in my speech. I’ll be all like ‘I remember when Keith first told me had a soulmate. I nearly shat my pants and I screamed ‘fuck you’ at him several times.”

Keith laughed. “Pidge Holt Gunderson….you are literally the best person I have ever met.”

“I know,” Pidge huffed. “So, are you gonna gimme the deets or not?”

“Okay, okay.” Keith sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything!”

“Alright then,” Keith said. “Get comfortable. This will be a long story.”

* * *

 

 

**_You are now logged onto Discord!_ **

**_You have just received friend requests from_** **Hunkage** **_and_** **bill clinton’s bee farm!**

**_You are now talking to_ ** **Hunkage!**

 

**Hunkage is typing….**

**Hunkage:** hey keith? this is hunk lol

 

**keith is typing….**

**keith:** Hi, it’s Keith. 

 

**Hunkage:** i know that lol

**Hunkage:** lance told me that you agreed to talk to us over discord like five minutes ago

 

**keith:** oh right

**keith:** uh….

 

**Hunkage:** so how are you today

 

**keith:** fine i guess. i found out i can go back to work soon. 

**keith:** hby

 

**Hunkage:** same as ever

**Hunkage:** lol i actually have class in like an hour…

 

**keith:** you’re in school?

 

**Hunkage:** yeah, college. i’m an engineer major. 

 

**keith:** oh cool

**keith:** i was basically majoring in piloting until i got expelled

 

**Hunkage:** ….expelled?

 

**keith:** i have...some “discipline issues” apparently

 

**Hunkage:** you...can get expelled from college?

 

**keith:** evidently

**keith:** but it’s all good now

 

**Hunkage:** you back in school?

 

**keith:** nah

**keith:** i work at walmart

 

**Hunkage:** oh lol

**Hunkage:** so what have you been doing since you fucked your arms up

 

**keith:** dying

**keith:** dying a slow and painful death

 

**Hunkage:** sounds emo

 

**keith:** yeah it kinda is

**keith:** lol i’m just bored tbh

 

**Hunkage:** wanna play a game then? it’ll help us get to know each other too

 

**keith:** sure

**keith:** smth like 20 questions?

 

**Hunkage:** yeah

**Hunkage:** i’ll go first

**Hunkage:** what’s your favorite color?

 

**keith:** red

**keith:** hby

 

**Hunkage:** that’s not how the game works lol

**Hunkage:** I ask you 20 questions, then you ask me 

**Hunkage:** but it’s yellow

 

**keith:** that’s not how i play it

**keith:** but oh i like yellow too

**keith:** and blue

**keith:** but red...red is definitely my fav…

 

**Hunkage:** you sure have some opinions on colors

 

**keith:** i’m an opinionated guy

 

**Hunkage:** they’re all primary

**Hunkage:** the colors you like, i mean

 

**keith:** huh yeah

**keith:** never realized that before

 

**Hunkage:** lol

 

**keith:** anyways let’s get on with the game

**keith:** what’s your favorite class in school?

 

**Hunkage:** i always liked math and science

**Hunkage:** and that’s still not how you play the game

 

**keith:** :P

 

**_This conversation continues on for 329 more messages!_ **

 

 

* * *

 

**_You are now talking to_ ** **bill clinton’s bee farm** **_!_ **

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm is typing….**

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** ay fucko

 

**keith:** ???

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** it’s me lance

 

**keith:** oh

**keith:** bill clinton’s bee farm?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** it’s a long story

 

**keith:** oh

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** anyways i messaged you like two hours ago??? wtf man why’d you take so long to reply

 

**keith:** i was talking to hunk

**keith:** i didn’t know you could message more than one person at a time on here

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** oooooh my god. oh myg od. oh my god. you’re like a grandpa. 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** and here i was thinking that you were blowing me off on purpose

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** asshole

 

**keith:** i’m sorry?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** nah dude it’s okay. i’m just messing with ya. 

**bill clinton’s bee farm: s** o what were you and my boyfriend talking about

 

**keith:** i didn’t break any of the rules, don’t worry

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** pppsssshh

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i’m actually not worried about that. you seem pretty trustworthy...tho i’m reluctantly to admit that

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i just wanna keep things even. like say you and hunk have a deep, meaningful conversation in the middle of the night and us two don’t? it’s unfair, man, for you two to have all the relationship development. 

 

**keith:** .…

**keith:** ...what?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i still wanna be your bro

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** like it’s prob a good idea for us to become all buddy-buddy first if we are romantic soulmates or whatever

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i don’t hate you, man

 

**keith:** ….i repeat, what?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i just want us all to be on the same page

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i don’t want a play-by-play of your convo with hunk

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i just want...an idea of what you guys talked about. like so we can do something similar and thus be equal in relationship development so far. 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** this is more about me getting to know you and vice versa

 

**keith:** ….you lost me

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** //sigh

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** okay whatever

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** basically what i’m asking is did you guys get to know each other past introductions or not, and if yes if us two can do something similar because while i kind of resent you just for existing, i do want to get to know you

 

**keith:** oh okay, why didn’t you just say so

**keith:** wait you resent me

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** yeah ofc

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** oh a superficial level

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i don’t know you well enough to actually resent you, i just resent what you represent

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** don’t take it too personally

 

**keith:** uh...okay

**keith:** so, hunk and i just played twenty questions

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** oh my god did he insist that his wacked out version was the right one

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** he’s been like that since middle school with every online friend he’s ever made

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** like NO HUNK, twenty questions is played by each person asking them back and forth, not by one person asking all of them at one time and the other person answering them

 

**keith:** you seem to really hate his version

**keith:** but yeah that’s what happened

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** yOU’D HATE IT TOO IT YOU HAD TO LIVE WITH HIS STANNING OF IT FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** anyways, i’ll start

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** if you were suddenly sucked into space and forced to pilot a giant robot cat that formed into a giant robot to fight evil, what color would you want your suit and lion to be?

 

**keith:** o

**keith:** oh my god

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** what

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** this is how i start every game of twenty questions

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** weeds out the losers

 

**keith:** you’re a fan of that old 80s cartoon too?!!!

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** wha 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** no

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** no fucking way

 

**keith:** ????

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i might just have to break one of my own rules at this point

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** if you like voltron then i fuck w you

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** maybe you’re not so bad after all

 

**keith:** !!!

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** but rlly tho, which lion would you pilot

 

**keith:** red 

**keith:** hby

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** black, obviously ;)

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i’m a natural leader

 

**keith:** haha suuuuuuuuure

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** what? don’t believe me?

 

**keith:** no actually

**keith:** you don’t really strike me as the black paladin

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** oh? really? which paladin do you think i am?

 

**keith:** hm

**keith:** my favorite one coincidentally

**keith:** blue

 

**_This conversation continues on for 1,457 more messages!_ **

 

* * *

 

“Wait,” Pidge interrupted. “Who’s Lance?”

“Oh,” Keith said nonchalantly. “He’s my other soulmate, I think.”

Pidge choked a bit on her coffee and it took a moment before she could respond. “Pardon?” she coughed out. 

“You okay?” Keith asked, concern in his voice. 

“Yeah, yeah, fine.” Pidge swallowed and tried to even her breathing. “But he’s who now?”

“Oh, yeah. Lance. He’s my other soulmate and Hunk’s boyfriend. And his other soulmate as well.”

Pidge mulled over what he said for a moment. “...what the fuck?”

“I’ll explain it all in a bit,” Keith said. He sighed. “I told you it would be a long story.”

“No, no...I think i get it?” Pidge frowned. “Is that why you’ve never recieved a message before? Because you have two? Or is this, like, the universe suddenly now compensating for that.”

“I wish I knew,” Keith said, a bit wistfully. “But they’re both great, despite how Lance and I didn’t exactly get off on the right foot.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he’s great! Hunk’s great too. They’re both great. Like I just said.”

“Sounds like you like them a lot.”

“Yeah, I do. Now shut up and let me finish this story.”

* * *

 

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm is typing….**

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** ay yo keef

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** what that mouth do

 

**keith:** what

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** no im sorry that sounded a lot funnier and made more sense in my head

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** anyways how are you today keefy boy

 

**keith:** fine i guess

**keith:** keefy boy?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** keith = keef

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** idk i thought it was a cute nickname

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** omg change your discord name to that

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i mean if you want

 

**keith:** ? how do i do that

**keith:** oh wait

**keith:** one sec

 

**keith** **_had just changed his name to_ ** **keef** **_!_ **

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** omg you actually did it

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** that;s so cute omg

 

**keef:** haha i thought you said no flirting

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** if you think that is flirting then i am highly concerned to see how you would respond to actual flirting

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** plus i’m allowed to break my own rules ;3

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** but actually i’m not flirting

 

**keef:** oh

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** don’t sound so disappointed keef

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** you’ll know it if i actually flirting with you ;)

**bill clinton's bee farm:** anyways go show hunk your new name

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** he’ll be proud to know that you finally figured out the basic personalization settings of discord

 

**keef:** :P

**keef:** but okay

 

**keef** **_has left the chat with_ ** **bill clinton’s bee farm** **_!_ **

**keef** **_has entered a chat with_ ** **Hunkage** **_!_ **

 

**keef:** hey

**keef:** i changed my name and lance wanted me to show you

 

**Hunkage:** lol i know

**Hunkage:** lance is literally sitting next to me on the couch 

**Hunkage:** he told me everything before you probably even had the chance to type

**Hunkage:** he looks so smug omg

**Hunkage:** one sec i gotta go kick my boyfriend in the shin

 

**keef:** ah...okay?

**keef:** you’re not actually kicking him right

**keef:** you’re just doing that like...thing where people pretend to whack their friends or whatever but it’s not actually a hard hit and the only thing it results in is laughter and faking struggling

**keef:** wow that sounded weird and robotic

**keef:** sorry. i just. observe people and. map out what they do sometimes. 

**keef:** gahhh that’s so weird sorry

**keef:** you still there?

 

**Hunkage:** this is lance, i stole hunk’s phone

**Hunkage:** we r curretnly wretsling and i dont know how much longer i ca

**Hunkage:** GDI HUNK IM TYPING HERE ASFGKJDLDDVDBG

 

**keef:** you guys okay?

 

**Hunkage:** hi, hunk’s back. lance and i were wrestling over my phone because he wanted to steal it after i kicked him. 

**Hunkage:** and lol yeah it was one of those joke kick things like you described

**Hunkage:** you don’t have to apologize for explaining it, even if you thought it was w

 

**keef:** was what?

 

**Hunkage:** hi lance again i don’t have much time but listen keith i’m going to send you a picture that’s only on hunk’s phone but you gotta promise to send it to me okay so i have it too okay keef you gotta promise im sending it now

 

**keef:** i can’t even read what that said

**keef:** the lack of punctuation makes it confusing

**keef:** we don’t even use punctuation that much

**keef:** we’re millennial **s**

**keef:** anyways feel free to send that photo, if that’s what you were saying

 

**Hunkage** **_sent a pic!_ **

 

**keef:** what...what is this….

 

**Hunkage:** HI HUNK’S BACK BUT

**Hunkage:** GDI LANCE

**Hunkage:** NO ONE’S SUPPOSED TO SEE THAT PIC

 

**keef:** this...is so adorable…..omfg…..

**keef:** is that you??? 

 

**Hunkage:** UNFORTUNATELY,

**Hunkage:** I WAS LIKE TEN IN THAT PICTURE, DON’T JUDGE

 

**keef:** i don’t see what’s wrong with it? but you were so cute omg…..

 

**Hunkage:** ITS AN EMBARRASSING PICTURE FROM MY DARK PAST

**Hunkage:** DELETE IT

 

**_You have one (1) new message from_ ** **bill clinton’s bee farm!**

 

**keef:** oh one sec lance is messaging me

 

**Hunkage:** KEITH?

**Hunkage:** LISTEN TO ME KEITH, PLEASE DELETE IT

 

**keef** **_has left the chat!_ **

**_keef has entered a chat with_ ** **bill clinton’s bee farm** **_!_ **

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** send me the pic

 

**keef** **_has left the chat!_ **

**_keef has entered a chat with_ ** **Hunkage** **_!_ **

 

**keef:** can i send lance the pic or

 

**Hunkage:** PLESAE DELETE IT

 

**keef:** but it’s so cute

**keef:** i don’t understand how it’s embarrassing

 

**Hunkage:** PLEASE

 

**keef:** like i’m looking at it now and i don;t see wh

**keef:** oh my god

 

**Hunkage:** NO

**Hunkage:** STOP PLS

**Hunkage:** JUST DELETE IT

 

**keef:** is that a t-shirt with the words “i love justin bieber” on it

**keef:** handwritten too

**keef:** omg

 

**Hunkage:** IT WAS A PHASE

 

**keef:** im in tears omg

**keef:** justin bieber

 

**Hunkage:** HE’S NOT EVEN RELEVANT ANYMORE STOP LAUGHING

**Hunkage:** ASK ANY TEN YEAR OLD AND THEY WON’T KNOW WHO HE IS

**Hunkage:** I NEED TO BURN THAT PICTURE

 

**keef:** why is it still on your phone then omg

 

**Hunkage:** I

**Hunkage:** THAT IS A VERY GOOD POINT

**Hunkage:** BRB

 

**Hunkage** **_has left the chat!_ **

**keef** **_has entered a chat with_ ** **bill clinton’s bee farm** **_!_ **

**keef** **_has sent a photo!_ **

 

**keef:** im crying

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** omg 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** bless u

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i’ve been trying to get this picture back on my phone ever since he deleted on me it a few weeks back

 

**keef:** should we delete it though? he seems really uncomfortable with us seeing it…..

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** nah he’s fine

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** hunk’s just dramatique

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** trust me, i’ve asked him. he’s okay with us seeing it, just as long as we don’t share it with anyone else or remind him of it.

 

**keef:** oh uh okay

**keef:** i think he just deleted it off his own phone though

**keef:** i might have suggested it….

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** wow THANKS keef

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** >:(

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** just as i was starting to like you

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** #betrayed

 

**keef:** im really sorry

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** omg dude no….

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** i’m just being dramatique

 

**keef:** oh.

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** you’re an awkward lil beanpot aren’t you

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** chillax bro

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** yknow...i wasn’t lying about actually warming up to you….

 

**keef:** really?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** just don’t make this weird

 

**keef:** (*^▽^*)

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** gdi that was cute…..

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** stop !!! you will not entice me !!!

 

**keef:** (ʘ‿ʘ)

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** and now you’ve ruined it

 

**keef:** (∩︵∩)

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** (◕︿◕✿)

 

**keef:** (´°ω°`)

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** (　´_ﾉ` )

 

**keef:** ＼（＠；◇；＠）／

 

**_This conversation continues for 689 more messages!_ **

  
  


* * *

****

“That…” Pidge said. “...explained nothing.”

Keith laughed. “I know.”

Pidge shifted around in her seat and took the last sip of her coffee. “So...uh?” she started. “What are those rules you kept mentioning?”

“Oh, uh,” Keith mumbled out. “Just some stuff Lance wants me to keep in mind while I talk to him and Hunk. Like, I do frankly understand why he wants me to think about it….”

Pidge frowned. “He has rules about how you’re supposed to talk to him? That’s kinda messed up.”

“Not really.” She could imagine Keith shrugging. “It’s more like...your friend asking you not to mention a certain topic because they’re uncomfortable talking about it.”

“Oh.” Pidge sighed. “Okay, I thought he was, like, telling you that you could only message him and his boyfriend at certain hours of the day and that you had to only talk about certain topics like, like sex and other risque things.”

“You’ve got a wild imagination there, Pidge.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Anyways, are you gonna tell me the rest of the story? I told you I wanted the deets!”

“Oh,” Keith said. “That was the whole story. I only started talking to them last night at like 3 AM, when I first got a Discord. They’re in a different timezone so it was like 6 or 7 in the morning for them.”

Pidge sucked in a breath. “You’re telling me that you’re this giddy over talking to them twice?  _ Twice _ , Keith?”

“Hey, don’t judge.” Keith sounded pouty, but then there was a sudden shift in his voice. “I’m...I’m not used to having friends.”

Pidge was quiet for a moment. “Oh.” 

“More than one friend,” Keith quickly rectified. “I’m not used to having more than one friend.”

“Well, I’m happy for you then,” Pidge said, meaning it. “Anyways, tell me more about these two that are apparently your soulmates. How’d you first end up contacting them anyways?”

“Really?” Keith’s voice brightened immediately. “You sure you wanna hear about this? Well get comfortable again, because this will be an even longer story than before….”   
Pidge smiled as her best friend started babbling on about something involving Mongolian Death Worms and trying to write on his burn-cream covered arms. As long as he was happy, so was she, Pidge guessed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. You know those times when your mental health just suddenly plummets? Yeah....that's kinda what happened. This entire fic was also supposed to be complete be posted by the 28th of February but that didn't happen so w h o o ps.
> 
> Also, I know that's not how Discord is formatted. I just made it that way so it would read-eaiser lol.
> 
> Thanks for reading. The next update will be much sooner, hopefully.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: HANCE CHAPTER. THIS DOES NOT NEED A WARNING TBH. HANCE IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH. JUST THOUGHT I WOULD CALL TO ATTENTION THAT THIS IS A HANCE CHAPTER THOUGH. ENJOY!

Hunk woke up to a dark room, with the strange foreboding sense that he was no longer alone. He propped himself up on his arms and took a look around, heart stopping momentarily as his eyes fell on a humanoid shape sitting on the edge of the bed. He blinked a few times, fearing that it was Shia LeBouf, or Slender Man, or some other horrific creature. But then his eyes adjusted and he let out a sigh of relief.  

It was just Lance, sitting rather morosely in the dark with his legs dangling over the edge of the bed. He was staring out at the room with his back to Hunk, and he looked to be in deep thought. Hunk glanced at the clock on their bedside table, and cringed. It was too late for either of them to be up. He stared at his boyfriend’s back for a moment, and then chose to break the silence. 

“Hey,” he said. “Did you just get in?”

Lance jumped, then slowly turned around. “Hey,” he said, quietly. He glanced quickly at Hunk and then turned away. “No, I got home a while ago. I was just about to go to bed. Sorry, if I woke you.”

“It’s fine.” Hunk sat up in bed and turned to face Lance, pushing off blankets. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Lance looked away again, not meeting his eyes. He stood. “I’m...going to the bathroom, be right back. You can go back to sleep if you want.”

“I’ll wait up,” Hunk said. 

Lance did another quick glance at him and then shuffled to the bathroom. The door shut behind him and a second later Hunk heard the tap running and some splashing. It sounded like he was aggressively washing his face. 

His boyfriend emerged about a minute later, his face not wet but rather the sleeves on his shirt and also a patch on his stomach. Hunk raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to ask, but Lance simply shook his head. He crawled into bed pulled the covers up close to his head. He turned away from Hunk again, only showing him his back. 

It was already dark in the room, but Hunk leaned over a bit and closed the curtains by their bed. They were in complete darkness now. He slipped under the covers next to Lance, and sided up against his back. Tentatively, he wrapped an arm around him. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked in a hushed voice. 

Lance grumbled, clearly still awake. “Yeah.”

“Anything you want to...talk about?”

“Nothing at all.”

There was a moment of silence before Hunk spoke again. “Are we having a fight?”

There was another moment of silence. 

Lance sighed. “No...no we aren’t.” He paused, and all of a sudden his hand came up to grasp Hunk’s that was hanging over his chest. “We aren’t having a fight. I’m sorry.”

Hunk let out a relieved breath. “Oh. Good.”

Lance shifted a bit in his hold, and nestled himself further into Hunk’s chest. “I’ll....explain in the morning. Can we talk in the morning?”

“Yeah, of course.” Hunk squeezed his hand. “Anything for you.”

Lance shifted again upon hearing that. “Ah….”

“Are you sure there’s nothing you want to tell me now?"

“Yeah….” Hunk heard Lance swallow heavily. “...no.”

“What’s up?”

“I...I kinda….” Lance seemed uncomfortable. Hunk gave him another squeeze from behind, hoping it was encouraging. Lance continued to stumble over his words. “I kinda….contacted Keith?”

The room was very still for a moment.

“What?” Hunk said. 

“I...talked to Keith. Through the soulmate message thingy. He seems like an okay dude.”

There was another heavy pause. 

“What?” Hunk said in disbelief again.

“Yeah….”

Hunk let out a shocked gasp. “Babe, you did that? What did you say?”

“I...just made some introductions, chatted a bit about this or that, and then...gave him our Discord accounts?” Lance seemed to cringe. “He...he doesn’t have one yet, but I thought it would be easier to talk on there. We can start tomorrow and just chat a bit. He told me he needed to call his friend ‘Pidge’ first to find out what Discord was though….he’s kinda weird, to tell the truth….”

Hunk squeezed Lance tight in happiness. “Lance, I’m so proud of you! You’re...you’re really handling this better than I expected.”

Lance laughed nervously. “Wow, ye of little faith.”

“No, really.” Hunk kissed him on the back of his neck. “I  _ am  _ proud of you. You’ve come a long way.”

Lance was quiet for a moment, then responded. “Thanks.”

“So, that’s all you had to tell me right now?”

“Yeah...we can talk more in the morning?” Lance yawned, through it sounded fake. “I’m pretty tired.”

“Of course, babe, of course.” Hunk gave him one more squeeze. “Ah! Still so proud of you. I’ll shut up now. Night! Love you.”

“Yeah...” Lance said. “...love you too.”

 

* * *

Some people said falling in love was like falling asleep; slowly and then all at once.

Other said it happened more like the other person smiled, and then everything was perfect, and you fell in love instantly.

Hunk, on the other hand, was pretty sure falling in love was more like riding a bike. Except you weren’t wearing a helmet. And the road before you was filled with potholes. And the bike was on fire. And it wasn’t even a bike, but instead a chariot leading you straight to the gates of hell. And the entirety of Justin Bieber’s discography was playing the entire time, and you didn’t know how to turn it off or where it was coming from. 

But somehow, despite all that bullshit, you still ended up in heaven. If that somehow made sense.

Falling in love with Lance was instantaneous, yes. But it was also like pulling teeth. On one hand, he wanted to choose who to love. He didn’t want to be beholden to something as arbitrary and medieval as the universe dictating to you who to love  _ a la _ soulmate connections. 

And then...on the other hand, he chose to love Lance. Of course he initially loved him superficially -- he was charming and not too bad to look at, who wouldn’t love him? -- and then he loved him platonically as they became friends. But as time went on, and they grew closer and closer, it just sort... _ happened _ . And that’s when Hunk chose to love Lance. Romantically, that was.

It happened on a Friday afternoon in the summer, just a week before school let out. They were in their sophomore year. Neither had said the words “I love you” yet, but they hadn’t felt the need to up until that point. 

They were lying on Lance’s bed. A fan was blowing from the corner of the room and the window was open blowing in a nice cross breeze. The door was shut for privacy. Lance was scrolling through his phone with his torso and head on the bed, and his feet and legs up against the wall, touching a  _ Star Wars _ poster he had hanging up. Hunk was sitting in an opposite position, with his back against the wall and legs and butt on the bed, while reading a comic. Neither of them had spoken in quite some time

The comic Hunk was reading was getting kind of boring at the part he was at. It was an embarrassing romantic scene between the male character and female character, and it was overtly heterosexual and unneeded for the plot. As the two characters kissed, he looked up from the comic and glanced over at Lance. For some reason then, he felt his face go hot and his brain stop working. Well of course, his face had been hot before. This was...a different kind of hot. 

“Hey,” he had said, and it didn’t sound like himself saying it. 

Lance look up from his phone with a glazed over look, tired from the heat and from life in general. “Hey yourself.”

Hunk stared at him for a moment more, and then swallowed. “You’re a cool dude, you know that?”

“What?” Lance snorted. “Of course I am. You’re a cool dude too.”

“Thanks.”

Lance glanced over at him again. “You feeling alright?”

Hunk smiled, and his mouth kept moving without his permission. “Yeah...just thinking. Mostly about you, at the moment. I guess that’s why I’m saying weird stuff.”

Lance flipped around and sat on the bed normally, legs crossed. He leaned over and got close to Hunk’s face, and pressed a hand to his forehead. “You sure? You feel warmer than me. And I’m, like, perpetually warm.”

Hunk smiled again and put down his comic. “I’m fine.”

Lance stared at him hard for a second, then pulled away. “If you say so.” He flopped back on the bed. “Man, I can’t believe we’re gonna be  _ juniors _ . It seems like just yesterday we crying about going into eighth grade. Where does the time  _ go _ .”

“Yeah.” Hunk swallowed hard, only half paying attention. “Hey, when did we start dating again?”

Lance blinked a few times and looked up at him curiously. “Eighth grade, actually, I think. Why?”

“I dunno...just, thinking, I guess. Have we...have we ever kissed each other?”

“Uh….” Lance blinked a few times again in confusion. “Once. At that party in freshmen year. The seniors wouldn’t let anyone below sixteen touch any alcohol, so us and some other underclassmen were forced into playing spin the bottle. Somehow I got you on my first turn.” Lance paused for a moment, huffed, and then sat back up again. “Why?”

“No reason,” Hunk said nonchalantly enough, even shrugging to boot. “Just...wondering.”

Lance sized him up for a moment. “Are you saying we should kiss?”

Hunk shrugged again. “I dunno.”

“Well.” Lance licked his lips. “Well, I wouldn’t be  _ opposed  _ to it if you were.”

“Okay,” Hunk said, shrugging for a third time and making no move. His face, if possible, went even hotter than before. “Like now?”

Lance frowned. “When else?”

“Oh.” It was Hunk’s turn to blink. “Okay. It’s just that I’ve just now thought of this. Kissing you, that is. Are you telling me that you've thought about us kissing  _ before _ this?”

Lance let a huff an air out through his nose. “Yeah, kinda. I mean we are dating. And we’re soulmates.”

“Oh,” Hunk repeated. “Then why haven’t we kissed more often?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were ready.” Lance scratched the back of his head, almost abashed. “I never wanted to rush you or anything. You always seemed like you wanted to take your time with this.”

Even though his brain was rather fuzzy at the moment and the heat of the day was still getting to him, Hunk felt sincerely touched in that moment. However, instead of properly articulating that, he just let out a prolonged “Awwww.”

Lance looked away as his face became flustered. “But you know...I have thought a lot about kissing you. More than I would like to admit. So if you were just offering to kiss me just now….”

Hunk stared at him, mind suddenly drawing a blank. “Okay,” he said. 

“So,” Lance started after a minute, “are you gonna-”

He was cut off by Hunk sloppily pressing their lips together. 

Lance pulled back after a second, breathless with shock. “Wow.”

Hunk blinked a few times and then swallowed heavily again. “Wanna do that again?”

“Uh….” Lance looked a bit dazed and then smiled back up at Hunk. “Sure…?” He leaned over and got close to his face. “But I get to go first this time.”

“Oka-” It was Hunk turn to be cut off by Lance kissing him. 

They held it there for a second, mostly Lance just pushing with his closed mouth as both of their eyes slipped shut. Hunk then slowly raised his hand, bringing to cup the back of Lance’s neck. Lance pressed hard, and Hunk started pressing back, lips involuntarily parting a bit. Lance unconsciously mirrored his action, and let his tongue slip out a bit. It swiped Hunk’s bottom lip, and then they parted. 

“Wow,” Hunk then said. “Wow...was right.”

Lance looked breathless, but was smiling nonetheless. “I...that... _ yeah _ ,” he stammered out. “ _ Fuck yeah _ .”

Hunk smiled back and stared at Lance for a moment. Suddenly everything came rushing into fine focus. Hunk’s face was exceptionally hot again, he was aware of the sweat slowly making its way down his back, and he was then able to see the individual droplets beading on Lance’s top lip. 

He took a deep breath, and his brain went on autopilot. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but all he knew was that Lance looked exceptionally good in that moment, with his face all sweaty and his lips covered in a bunch of spit and his hair all messed and sticking to his forehead. His mouth opened, and he spoke:

“I love you, Lance.”

The words were out of Hunk’s mouth and hung in the air for a good minute before either he or Lance seemed to hear what he said.

“Wha-” Lance started suddenly, and then cut himself off. His eyes went wide. He blinked, and he blinked, and he blinked, obviously trying to process what Hunk had just said. Finally, he found his voice again. “W-what?”

Hunk felt his face go hot again, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the heat or the fact that Lance was looking at him with such desperate intensity. “I love you,” he said simply, again. He was more consistent this time, more aware. But some impulsive, involuntary side of him was making him continue to speak. 

Lance covered his face and gradually curled up into a ball and flopped on his side. Hunk watched him do all this, saying nothing. He then let out a muffled and strangled  “aaaAAAAAAAAAAAH!” from under his hands. 

“Are  _ you  _ okay?” Hunk asked and his voice was as calm as ever, despite how he  _ didn’t  _ feel calm. 

Lance peeked out at him, frown set on his face and eyes looking wide and almost hurt. “You’re such an asshole.”

Hunk sucked in a shocked breath. “ _ What? _ ”

“How many years have we known each other?” Lance covered his face back up and his voice became muffled again as it raised several octaves. “How many years have I waited to actually progress in our relationship? I get that we’re only sixteen but  _ c’mon man _ , I’ve been waiting to say that to you for  _ years _ , and you just randomly drop it on me after we make out for the first time?” Lance let his hands fall from his face and Hunk saw that there were tears in his eyes. “ _ God _ , you’re such an asshole.”

“I’m — I’m sorry?” Hunk stammered out.

“No!” Lance shot up and grabbed both of Hunk’s hands. “Don’t apologize! Never apologize for this!” 

“What?” Hunk stared at him incredulously. “I - uh - I’m sorry for saying I’m sorry?”

Lance groaned and fell back on the bed. “Uuuugh. You. You’re just.  _ Ugh _ .” He glanced back over at Hunk, double-chinning, and made a face. “Did you mean it though?”

“Mean what?” Hunk blinked. “That I love you?” He paused for a moment and his mouth acted without him thinking again. “Yeah.”

Lance’s face changed from the grimace he had been holding into a softer look, and then all of a sudden he slowly frowned. He sat back up, stared at Hunk for a full second, and then covered his face. 

Hunk realized he was watching the entire process of his boyfriend getting embarrassed. 

“I-I love you too,” Lance said, voice muffled. He peeked out from his fingers, and then went back to hiding behind them. He let out a flustered squeak. 

Blood rushed in Hunk’s ears and suddenly everything broke out of whatever heat-induced haze he had been in, and came into hyperfocus. He stared at Lance for a moment and had the sudden urge to cover his own face and make nondescriptive sounds. 

“Cool,” was all he said, and stared straight ahead as he internally screamed. 

Lance looked at him, and then swallowed heavily. His face was heating up like Hunk’s had been before. “Hey, can we-” he cut himself off and cleared his throat, looking away all flustered “- _ canwecuddle? _ ”

Hunk furrowed his brow. “Uh, what?”

“Can we….” Lance started, still not looking at him. “...cuddle? Look, I know it’s hot out but this has been a very progressive afternoon in terms of our relationship and I feel as though it would just be good for us right now to have some physical affection time and-”

“Yes,” Hunk said, simply, firmly, and finally. “Get over here.”

Lance smiled bashfully at him and let himself be engulfed in Hunk’s arms. They leaned back against the wall, sitting sideways on the bed with their feet dangling over the edge. Lance was leaning heavily on Hunk’s side, his head on his shoulder, and Hunk had his arm around Lance. They sat like that for a few minutes, then shifted a bit. They then shifted some more. And then again. 

Finally, it seemed they found the right position. Lying back on the bed, feet where their heads should be and heads where their feet should be, the two gave each other a smile. They didn’t talk, ending up just entangling themselves in their own thoughts as they entangled their limbs and bodies together, as weird and cliche as that sounded. 

Eventually, they fell asleep and woke up hours later with aching necks and sweat-soak shirts. They laughed tiredly, smiled some more, and tried to kiss sloppily again one last time before Hunk had to go home. And everything was perfect. It was beautiful. And Hunk hardly remembered what happened due to the fact that apparently he had been overheating that afternoon, and was rushed to the emergency room later that night when he collapsed of dehydration, among other heat-caused ailments.

But the point was that it had taken Hunk nearly four years and some heat-stroke powered confidence to come to terms with the fact that he loved Lance and chose to love Lance, and that Lance returned those feelings and oftentimes held back on them in consideration for Hunk. And that part...wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t beautiful. But it was realistic. And it was what worked for them, and they were happy. And nothing could ruin that. 

But it make Hunk wonder, though. If it took that long for him to come to terms with his feelings for Lance….

….then why was he crushing on Keith so hard after almost immediately meeting him?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *youtuber voice* wassup gaymers
> 
> haha...anyways, sorry for that unexpect hiatus. that was unintentional and i blame it completely on the boys (the boys being "depression", "anxiety", and "life in general", that is). however, updates will hopefully be more frequent now! though not as frequent as they were....i can't do that chapter-once-every-two-days thing anymore....
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoyed this chapter. feel free to throw me a comment if you want, i literally live for them. also @ all my klance fans....you're in for a treat next chapter ;) (AKA it's gonna be a klance chapter)
> 
> anyways, thanks for reading ny'all and feel free to hmu on the [tungle](http://writterings.tumblr.com/) dot hell if you wanna scream at me for not updating sooner


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> klance chapter ;))))))))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LANCE IS AN EMO THAT LISTENS TO EMO MUSIC PASS IT ON

Lance and Hunk did not end up talking in the morning. Instead, Lance woke up to an empty bed, and the vague feelings of disappointment and guilt. Of course, he still had no idea what he and Hunk were going to talk about if they had gotten the chance to. He didn’t even know how to begin to explain his behavior the past few days, let alone the “rules” he set forth with Keith. All of it was just too ridiculous -- and it made him undeniably feel like a jackass. 

With a sigh, Lance got out of bed and pushed himself through his morning routine. There were still little faded bits of his conversation with Keith from the night before, smudged blue pen standing out against his lovely dark skin like a bunch of nasty bruises. He stared at them for a moment, and a slight twinge of shame hit him in the gut. 

Swallowing his anxieties along with ADHD medicine as he headed out the door, Lance pulled out his phone and earbuds and tried to drown the world out in music. 

_ Coming out of my cage _

_ And I’ve been doing just fine….. _

  _Yes_ , he jammed out to _Mr. Brightside_ on the way to his bus stop. He didn’t care, it was that type of morning. He smiled at an old man who was waiting at his stop as he approached, and the old man smiled back. The sun went higher in the sky as he waited for his bus, and he looped his song so just as the final lyric of “ _‘Cause I’m Mr. Brightside…._ ” played. 

It was going to be a good day, he was determined of that. 

He was able to snag a seat on the bus, which just reaffirmed his prior notion. He sat down quick and then opened his phone, finding that he had several notifications across all his messaging apps -- namely Discord. One was from a new user named  _ Keith _ , who had sent him a friend request. He smiled slightly to himself and accepted it, sending a friendly  _ ay fucko  _ Keith’s way to start up a casually conversation with him. 

Despite whatever happened last night, the guy should be able to appreciate some friendly banter that borderlined on insults, right?

He then answered some of the other messages he had received, switched apps to check on his social media, and then turned up the volume on  _ Mr. Brightside _ . He waited a full ten minutes before checking on Discord again, seeing he had no new messages despite how it said several of his friends were on, including Keith. He frowned and tried to push down the irrational feeling that everyone wanted him dead. Today could still be a good day even if no one wanted to talk him. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen, thinking of his boyfriend. He doodled a little heart on the palm of his hand, waiting for the usual smiley face to appear right next to it. 

Instead, after a moment, a weird worm-looking thing appeared. It was drawn in red ink, and showed up so hastily done that it looked as though whoever had drawn had been riding in a car going down a bumpy road. 

_ Keith _ , Lance realized, snorting a bit. So the guy was too busy to respond on Discord, but he had the time to draw on his hands? Lance shook his head. 

_ What are those?  _ Lance wrote on his hand, drawing an arrow pointing to the wormy-thing. 

_ Mongolian Death Worms _ , Keith responded. 

Lance honestly wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He raised an eyebrow.  _ Care to elaborate? _

_ No _ , Keith wrote back, a second later. 

Lance started down at his palm.  _ Okay.  _

There was no response for several minutes. 

_ You okay dude _ ? he wrote. 

Still no response.

_ Listen _ , Lance finally wrote.  _ Hunk’s at work right now. He’s giving a demonstration to some newbies which means he has to follow safety procedures like wearing gloves and long sleeves. He won’t see any of this if we wash it off in time. If you wanna say something, then spill.  _

Keith still didn’t respond

_ C’mon, dude,  _ Lance wrote.  _ Look, I know I was kinda a jerk last night.  _

There were a few more seconds of radio silence, and then finally Keith responded.  _ Yeah. I know. I’m sorry.  _

Lance made a face.  _ You’re sorry? _

_ Yeah _ , Keith wrote back.  _ I’m sorry. I’m, like, kinda annoyed with you rn tbh. Last night, everything happened so fast. I didn’t even know what you were saying -- I just agreed to everything without thinking. But looking back at it, I’m kinda???? Wow. Like you weren’t too bad, but it was kinda mean. _

_ Yeah, I know _ , Lance responded.  _ Like I said last night...I kinda lose control of my emotions sometimes and act on them. But I’m self-aware when I’m doing it! Which is annoying.  _

_ If you’re self -aware, then why do it?  _ Keith wrote.

Lance huffed half-amusedly, and half in spite of himself.  _ Because I’m an impulsive prick that acts 97% on said impulse.  _

_ I can relate.  _ It seemed as though Keith paused for a second.  _ Last night was...bad.  _

_ Yeah, it was.  _ Lance took a moment to pause too. His left hand and inner forearm were covered with messages, and he prayed to every god that might exist that Hunk wasn’t able to see them still. He took a breath, and then drew an arrow pointing to the back of his arm, indicating he was switching to there. 

_ Can we start over?  _ he wrote.

Keith didn’t respond. 

_ Please? I’ll try to be better. I might need you to still...follow those rules, though??? Just for a short time period. I just. I don’t know. I know I was a dick. But can we try to be friends? Forget everything and try to be friends? _

There was still no answer. 

Lance sighed out loud. “Figures.”

His bus pulled to stop about a block away from his campus and he hopped off while hurriedly pulling his sleeve back up. He had about ten minutes before his first class started, but with the way his head was reeling he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to pay attention. 

He made his way into the nearest public bathroom (which was thankfully empty) and he prepared himself to to start to wash away the evidence. However, as soon as he was about to run his hands under the stream of water, he found a short essay squashed on the side of his inner arm, going into the crook of his elbow. 

_ We can start over _ , Keith had written.  _ I’m annoyed about what happened last night, but I can understand it. And you apologized. I’m going to be honest, I’m not good with people. Like in general. You and your boyfriend seem like you’re willing to give me a shot, though, so I feel as though I should return the favor. I gotta warn you though; I get jealous easy and I also practically fall in love with anyone who talks to me more than once.  _

_ I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty -- I’m saying this because I have a feeling I’m like you in that regard, if last night is evidence of anything. We’re kinda the same, except I’m better at hiding my feelings like that, I guess, and I usually try to avoid situations that cause negative emotions rather than seek solutions -- which IS what you kinda did last night. Seeking a solution, I mean.   _

_ So, yeah, I can put it all behind us. Because I understand what it’s like. And I’ll even honor the rules for as long as you need me too.  _

_ I want to be friends, but I gotta warn you — I’ll probably want something  _ more  _ later down the line. We are soulmates after all.  _

_ But I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. And I don’t even know what for. But for now, let’s focus on starting over. I’m totally okay with that. So, yeah, we can start over. _

Lance stared at his arm in shock, utterly dumbfounded at what Keith said and how he was able to squeeze that all into such a tiny patch of skin. He picked up his pen but found himself unable to think of much of a response.

_ Okay, _ he wrote, feeling kinda like a dick since his response was so much more lackluster than Keith’s.  _ Thanks man, that’s cool of you.  _

Keith didn’t respond. 

Whatever type of conversation they had been having was over, and soon all his messages went smudged and blurry — showing that Keith was washing them off so Hunk wouldn’t be able to see them later. Lance began to do the same, feeling everything and nothing simultaneously. His class began in five minutes.

In his earbuds,  _ Mr. Brightside  _ was still playing.

_ Jealousy, turning saints into the sea _

_ Swimming through sick lullabies, choking on your alibis _

_ But it's just the price I pay, destiny is calling me _

_ Open up my eager eyes,  _

_ ‘Cause I'm Mr. Brightside _

 

* * *

 

Keith was not a bad guy to talk to, Lance had to admit. 

He had kept his promise of putting everything behind him, so well to the point that Lance sometimes questioned whether or not Keith remembered their initial meeting. A nagging feeling in his gut still told him that whatever had happened between the two of them was not entirely resolved, though. 

If Keith did have a problem, however, he was good at hiding it -- just like he had said he would be. Lance had doubted the credibility of that claim at first, but over time Keith proved to be a master of his emotions, to the point where Lance actually was shocked when he gave a strong angry outburst one time when they were discussing the existence of Bigfoot. 

Their “first” real conversation went exceptionally well, with Lance finding out that Keith wasn’t as lame as he initially thought --  _ especially  _ when he revealed he liked the same shitty 80s cartoon that he did. While Lance felt as though he should be walking on eggshells with Keith considering everything, he couldn’t help but be his endearing-asshole self -- but luckily it seemed as though Keith could give him shit back just as well, if not even better. 

It was about two weeks after their ‘let’s start over’ incident when Lance had an actual serious conversation with the guy, however. Most of their online chats up to that point had just been some joking around or sending each other memes but Lance had a sinking feeling about this chat as soon as he spotted the little red “1” pop up next to Keith’s name. 

**keef:** hey u up?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** yeah

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** you okay?

 

**keef:** i 

**keef:** nvm im sorry i just realized how late it is in your timezone

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** we’re only two hours ahead of you dude

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** tell me what’s wrong

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** spill

 

**keef:** okay i 

**keef:** i had a bad dream

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** aw

 

**keef:** aw??

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** no sorry like

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** im sorry you had a bad dream

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** but you’re coming to ME for comfort

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** this is like virtual second base man

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** still no flirting tho, just remember ;)

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** ANYWAYS continue

 

**keef:** pft okay

**keef:** so uh

**keef:** yeah i had a bad dream

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** ….

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** and?

 

**keef:** uh

**keef:** idk how to explain

**keef:** im still kinda shaken from it tbh

**keef:** like im okay tho, like its all good

**keef:** its just. uh. hm. wow. 

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** would like

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** it be better if we did a voice call?

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** hunk’s snnzing in the other room tho so like. no shouting. 

 

**keef:** would that be okay?????

**keef:** if venting is virtual second base then what the fuck is a voice call on that scale

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** idk whatever you want it to be

**bill clinton’s bee farm:** want me to start the call?

 

**keef:** yeah sure

 

Lance paused for a moment, then opened the voice chat. It was a second before Keith was on. Neither of them said anything for a minute. 

“So,” Lance said, watching as the little bubble around his Discord icon turned green when he spoke. “What’s up, man?”

“ _ I… _ ” he heard on the other line. “ _...hi? This is Keith? _ ”

Lance snorted. “No shit, Sherlock. This is Hunk.”

“ _ Really? _ ”

“God, no. It’s Lance. Who else?” Lance opened a new tab and launched some mindless game to keep his hands busy while he talked to Keith. It would help him focus in the long run. He chose a game called ‘Red Remover’. “So, c’mon. Tell me what’s up.”

“ _ You sound like Finn from Adventure Time _ ,” Keith said, sounding like he blurted it out. “ _ Wait no- _ ”

Lance gave a laugh. “Should I take that as a compliment?”

He heard Keith give a sigh of relief on the other end. “ _ Fuck yeah _ ,” he said, “ _ Finn’s the best _ .”

“Alright, cool. You sound like….” Lance thought for a moment. “Say something, and I’ll tell you who you sound like.”

“ _ What do you want me to say _ ?”

“Anything.”

“ _ Anything _ .” Lance could practically hear the smirk in Keith’s voice. “ _ Heh, like that _ ?”

“Okay, wow, I’m going to block you on here and all other social media,” Lance deadpanned. He then exhaled amusedly out of his nose then rolled his eyes. “And lemme see...you sound like...that guy from the  _ Walking Dead _ . Glenn, I think his name is.”

“ _ I sound like a guy from the Walking Dead _ ?” Keith made a huffing noise. “ _ Okay, that’s a first. But cool _ .”

“Now, c’mon.” Lance clicked ‘start’ on his game of Red Remover. The objective was to get all the red squares off the screen, while making sure you didn’t accidentally get rid of any of the green ones. There were blue squares too, but it didn’t matter if they stayed or went. Easy enough. “ _ Spill _ .”

Keith sighed. “ _ You sure you wanna listen to this? Normally I’d complain about this to my brother or my friend Pidge, but both of them are at this all-night event for their bowling club…. _ ”

Lance clicked away three red squares and cleared a level. “Bowling club?”

“ _ Don’t ask. We live in a small Midwestern town and there’s not much to do here _ .” He sighed again. “ _ But really, are you sure- _ ”

“Keith.” Lance accidentally made a green square disappear off his screen, losing the level instantly. “Ask again and I will start blasting Evanescence's ‘Bring Me to Life’ and start singing along badly.”

Keith let out an amused huff on the other end. “ _ The ‘Wake Me Up’ song _ ?”

“It’s a serious threat,” Lance said, totally serious as he restarted his level. “Now  _ spill _ .”

“ _ Okay, okay _ .” Lance could tell Keith was smiling, but then his voice took on a darker and more serious tone. “ _ It was...about my ex-boyfriend _ .”

Lance said nothing for a moment, clicking away a few red squares, then responded. “Oh?”

“ _ Yeah, I just...it was a while ago. A few years back. That guy was an asshole who nearly ruined my life _ .” Keith sighed, but he sounded as though if he was simply just relaying the events of a stressful day rather than his assumedly traumatic past. “ _ It was about the night he said...some very hurtful things to me and then dumped me _ .”

Lance paused his game. “Can I ask how you had a boyfriend if you thought you had no soulmate?”

“ _ Oh sure _ ,” Keith said. “ _ Some non-soulmated people find others like them, or find people who’ve already lost their soulmate in an accident or something. We then...hook up, I guess. And date _ .”

“Oh.” Lance was suddenly remembered the two warm and loving women he called his mother-in-laws despite not having married their son yet. “Yeah, Hunk and I know some people like that.”

“ _ Really? Wow. It’s kinda rare. Non-soulmated people, I mean. And then it’s nearly impossible to find someone around your age, who is interested in people of your gender, and who speaks your language even somewhat fluently _ .” Keith paused. “ _ I mean, I found my ex-boyfriend through the internet _ .”

Lance started up his game again, and frowned. “You’re telling me you never met your ex in person?”

“ _...Look, don’t judge. Like I told you, it’s nearly impossible for non-soulmated people to find others who are like us and who are compatable with us. And even then he was a few years old than me. That should have been the first red flag, considering I was like 16 and thought I was old enough to be dating a significantly older legal adult, and he just let it happen…. _ ” Keith cleared his throat. “ _ Yeah, but I only knew him through the internet _ .”

“That’s okay,” Lance said, still frowning as he cleared another level, “I mean, you only know Hunk and I thought the internet, right? And we’re friends. Doesn’t mean the relationship is any less real. Or  _ was _ , I should say.”

“ _...yeah _ .” Keith sounded vaguely surprised that Lance was taking him seriously. “ _ Anyways, he was a real asshate. Possessive. Manipulative. Called me stupid when I needed things explained. Say anything on the list of the ‘Bad Boyfriend Checklist’ and he fit the criteria _ .” 

Lance clicked away another red square absentmindedly, but frowned disconcertedly to himself. “Send me his address. Me and Hunk will beat him up for you.”

Keith gave a small laugh. “ _ Thanks. But it’s okay. Well, it’s not. But I’m okay. _ ”

“You sure?” Lance moved on to his next level, and grinned at the screen. “We can fuck him up pretty well if you want. That’s what he gets for being an asshat.”

“ _T_ _ hanks _ .” He could practically hear Keith smiling. “ _ That’s nice of you _ .”

“Of course,” Lance said. “So you wanna tell me more about this nightmare?”

“ _ Yeah, sure _ .” Keith took a sobering sigh. “ _ Like I said, it was about the night he broke up with me. We had been dating for about a year or two, and he only lived like three hours away if I took a train. We had planned for months for me to go and visit him, but the night just before I was about to leave -- without even telling my brother or anyone -- he called and...and said… _ .”

Keith cut himself off, though not from emotion overcoming him. In fact, it sounded like he paused as if he was preparing  _ Lance  _ for what he was about to say.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to” Lance said quickly. He paused his game and clicked back into the Discord tab. “Besides, I think I get the picture from what you’ve told me already.”

“ _ No, no. I kinda want to talk about it. _ ” Lance heard Keith swallow. “ _ Anyways, he called and said he just found his soulmate. Apparently they had been holding out on him all these years and just never wrote anything on their arms. I’m still not sure if he was telling the truth or not, but he...he basically told me I was just a stand-in until he found his soulmate or someone he was actually into. He told me I was pathetic and that no one could ever be able to love me and that I was stupid and that- _ ”

Keith cut himself off again. There was radio silence on his end of the call. 

“Wow,” Lance said, quietly after a moment. “What. A. Fucking.  _ Jackass _ .”

“ _ Lance, please _ .”

“I’m serious. That guy is a  _ fucking jackass _ , and you deserved so much better. Keith, I might not have known you for very long, but I do know that disgusting excuse for a person was wrong about you. You’re a cool guy and just-” It was Lance’s turn to cut himself off before he went into a tangent. “ _ God _ , I…” He thought for a moment. “I...I want to give you a hug right now.”

He heard Keith make an indistinguishable noise, and then a huff. “ _ You want to give me a hug _ ?”

“Yeah. I want to give you a hug. Can’t I want to give my friend a hug?”

“ _ Ha, friend. _ ” Lance imagined Keith was rolling his eyes as he said jokingly, “ _ I thought you hated me _ .”

“Well, yeah, I  _ do _ ,” Lance responded sarcastically. “But you’re still my friend. And I want to give you a damn hug.”

Keith gave another small laugh. “ _ Thanks, Lance _ .”

“No problem. Now let me google how far away you are to see if I can fly out there right now to give you a hug,” Lance said, actually opening a new tab for this. “I’ll bring Hunk too. You’ve never lived until you’ve had a Hunk hug…..”

“ _ No, really _ ,” Keith insisted. “ _ Thank you. For listening and being there, I guess…. _ ”

Lance smiled. “Aw, Keefy, you’re not falling for me, are you?”

“ _ Pfft, as if _ .” Keith then yawned, and it kind of sounded fake, but Lance didn’t say anything. “ _ Anyways, I kinda want to go back to sleep. I don’t think I’ll have another bad dream tonight. Thanks again, Lance. _ ”

Lance switched back to his Red Remover tab and smiled. “No problem. Goodnight, Keith.”

“ _ Night, Lance _ .” There was a paused. “ _ I...I don’t think I’ve ever really opened up to someone like this before. So, really, thank you. I mean it. Goodnight _ .”

The call went dead before Lance could respond.

He shook his head and smiled to himself, and then clicked back to his tab of Red Remover. The game was paused, but he saw his mistake right away. He had accidentally clicked away a green square when he changed tabs, and left a red one and blue one right next to each other. He had failed the level. 

Staring at the screen, however, he found he didn’t care much. He X-ed out of his tab, closed his computer, and headed to bed, all the while thinking about how much plane tickets would cost for him and Hunk to fly out to wherever the hell Keith lived just so they could give him a well-deserved and probably much-needed hug.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comin' out of my cage  
> and i've been doing just  
>  **FUCK ******
> 
> ****hskdsjdflgdfh hey ny'all, sorry for the late update. excuses? i have none. will the update schedule change now that it's summer and i have nothing to do because the four places i applied to for jobs havent called me back yet? mayhaps, mayhaps. anyways, ny'all are GREAT, the feedback on this fic has been PHENOMENAL despite the shitty update schdule and i love you all for that. thank you all so much.** **
> 
> ****also -- on a side note -- red remover does exist! just google it and you can play it. it was my favorite game to play when i was in middle school and literally website was blocked on the school computers lmfao.** **


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> its so fuckig gay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive written sex scenes and havent blushed as much as i did in this chapter

There was probably something to be said about how much time Keith spent at a computer. But, to tell the truth, he knew he had a problem and he frankly didn’t care. Sure, being beholden to his phone or his laptop sometimes did stress him out -- but at least it wasn’t like he was scrolling through social media all day, worried about how many likes his posts got and whether or not his follower count shot up magically when he wasn’t on.

(Usually.)

His reasoning was that at least he was talking to people, people he desperately wanted to hang out with and meet IRL, so that had to count for something in the area of “wasting time but wasting it well”. Hunk and Lance soon became two really good friends to him, even if there were certain aspects about their personalities he still needed to get used to. He liked talking to them, most of the time, and typically got a bit anxious when he couldn’t.

“Texting your boyfriends?” Shiro asked nonchalantly as he poured himself a bowl of Froot Loops, watching Keith rather tiredly as he tapped away on his phone. Shiro then glanced over at the digital clock on the stove. “Isn’t it a bit early in their timezone?”

“They’re ahead of us,” Keith said, not looking up. He reached over and grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite, not noticing the butter on it. “It’s like 9 AM over there. They’ve been awake for a while.”

Shiro took note of the bags under Keith’s eyes. “Were you awake with them?”

“Maybe.” As if timed, Keith then yawned. “But like I said, they’re cool guys. We’re all in a groupchat now. It’s worth it.”

He then smiled at something on his phone and began typing rapidly with his thumbs. His whole face was lit up, even his eyes, and a light pink color dusted his cheeks as if he was blushing. Even after he finished typing, he was still smiling, eyes rapidly moving as they read his next message.

Shiro raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. “You seem to be _pre-tty_ enamoured with these guys. If enamoured is still word people even use.”

Keith took another bite of his buttered, stolen toast. “I guess. They’re just cool guys.”

“Aren’t they supposed to be your soulmates?” Shiro took a bite of his Froot Loops, then spoke with his mouth full. “‘Ou’re ‘’ppose to ‘e in ‘uve wit ‘em -” he swallowed “right?”

“Repeat that?” Keith finally looked up. “Also, you’re wearing the wrong prosthetic. You wanted to wear your older one for the dirty work you’re gonna be doing today.”

Shiro looked down at his left arm and cursed. He sighed and yanked it off, pushing it to the side of the table. “I’ll grab the other one right before I leave for work,” he said with a sigh. “Anyways, what I said was, ‘you’re supposed to be in love with them, right?’ Like...I’m not trying to say anything here, but I kinda am.”

Keith blushed. “We don’t know if we’re platonic or romantic soulmates yet, okay? And I don’t even know how to figure that out. We’re just taking things one step at a time, and seeing where it goes from there.”

“Whatever you say.” Shiro rolled his eyes and munched down a few more spoonfuls of Loops. “But, seriously, your interactions with them seem pretty romantic to me. At least on your part. It’s like you got this big ol’ crush on the both of them but won’t admit it to yourself.” Shiro finished his Loops, then thought for a moment. “Do you need flirting tips, or something?”

“No!” Keith blushed harder, and held his phone up as if he was trying to hide behind it. It wasn’t even on, having self-shutdown to save power. “I can flirt with them if I want! I’ll have you know I am a great _flirter_.”

“Uh-huh,” Shiro deadpanned. He picked up his bowl and slurped his Loop milk down, and then got up to place it in the sink. He grabbed his arm off the table, and a piece of toast. “Well, anyways, I have to be at the school in twenty minutes. You have fun dealing with your emotional-constipation and pining forest.”

“Have fun surviving those kindergarteners.” Keith put down his phone, and then mock-saluted him. “Don’t die.”

“Thanks.” Shiro rolled his eyes and strolled out of the room. Keith heard him start to go up the stairs. “By the way,” he heard Shiro call down from what was probably the fifth step, “that toast had real butter on it, and we’re all out of Lactaid. Good luck to you too today.”

The stairs creaked and Shiro was then upstairs, leaving Keith alone with his sudden realization.

“Oh, fuck,” Keith whispered.

His stomach suddenly made an unpleasant noise. He threw down his almost finished piece of toast and groaned.

 

* * *

 

**keef** **_is typing!_ **

**keef** : fml

**keef** : guys

**keef** : pls comfort me

 

**Hunkage** : what’s wrong?

 

**keef** : i had butter

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : butter

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : you had butter

 

**keef** : i’m lactose intolerant

 

**Hunkage** : oh geez good luck today

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : why did you have butter if you’re allergic

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : c’mon keef even you’re not that…..mindless

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : don’t you have pills to help you with that???

 

**keef** : i didn’t realize

**keef:** also i’m out of lactaid

**keef** : also also i am that mindless

**keef** : why does mindless have a bunch of dots in front of it anyways

 

**Hunkage** : ellipses

 

**keef** : yeah those things

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : idk dramatic effect

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : i just have to be dramatic

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : I Just Have To Be

 

**Hunkage** : anyways aren’t you in class with the scary professor ?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : yEAH goddamn

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : yeet goodbye my boys i am gone

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : ol’ prof haggar won’t take my phone this time

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** **_has left the chat!_ **

 

**Hunkage:** bye babe

 

**keef:** bye lance

**keef** : ugh my tummy

**keef** : it huuuurts

 

**Hunkage** : aw i’m sorry dude

**Hunkage** : i’d give you a big hug rn if i could

 

**keef** : T.T

**keef** : i’d like that

 

**Hunkage** : -hugs-

 

**keef** : thank you

**keef** : anyways i have to be off to work early today

**keef** : covering for my shitty coworker

**keef** : ttyl

 

**Hunkage** : oh i have to go too. bye!!! ily!!! <33

 

**Hunkage** **_has left the chat!_ **

 

* * *

 

The Walmart in Keith’s town was notoriously known for either being packed to the ceiling, or for being a fucking ghost town. Luckily for Keith, today seemed to be the latter, which was good for three reasons:

  1. his stomach was trying aggressively cleanse his body of the deadly poison of dairy
  2. he was hella tired
  3. the fact that he was thinking too much about what Shiro and Hunk (and somewhat Lance) had said to him that morning



Keith knew he liked Hunk and Lance. It was a crush, a silly little crush, but it had accumulated over the span of a few weeks and probably would just keep getting worse as time went on. Was Shiro right in accusing him of denying his feelings? Yes and no. Keith was well aware of how much he liked Hunk and Lance. But, _god_ , he would be a fool to admit it.

Lance and Hunk had been dating for years. Who was Keith to suddenly butt in and insert himself into their lives? The three of them might have been soulmates but that was no guarantee that they would even like him back, or even want their lives to change that drastically. Sure, they had welcomed him with open arms (well...Hunk more so than Lance) and seemed to want to include him in things….but how much of that was just platonic/politeness?

And then there was Lance’s dumb rules, which in retrospect actually did seem to be helping Keith in the long run. Promising not to flirt or fall in love with them was only saving him the future heartache, despite how badly he was failing at that last one. But they were frustrating at times, he had to admit. What if he wanted to flirt, to see where it could get him? Thanks a lot, Lance.

And yet...even while he denied the idea that Hunk and Lance could like him back, and that he would forever be hopeless pining, he couldn’t help but replay some of their interactions over and over in his head. Hunk’s ‘ily’ that morning, Lance calling him one of his ‘boys’, those deep talks they stayed up late having most nights….it honestly gave him some hope in regards to his situation.

He knew they wouldn’t like him back, but that didn’t stop him from dreaming.

 

* * *

 

Keith woke up to someone lightly tickling him on the nose. He bit back a smile and feigned sleep for a few more moments until the giggling that was happening right before his closed eyes made him start laughing as well.

“C’mon, mullet, I know you’re awake,” he heard Lance’s voice say, sounding more suave and less-robotic that it did over a lagging Discord call channel. “Or at least make room for me so I can cuddle you.”

Keith smiled to himself and opened his eyes, his one boyfriend’s face merely inches away from his own. Lance smirked at him, and Keith stuck his tongue out at him.

“What if I don’t want to move?” Keith challenged. He smirked back. “What are you gonna do then, huh?”

Lance got even closer to his face. “I dunno. What _am_ I gonna do?”

They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, both simultaneously admiring each other and daring each other to make a move. Neither of them budged until the sound of their apartment door, adjacent to their living room, opened up and made them both jump.  

“Hunk!” Lance yelled, rushing over to his and Keith’s other boyfriend, and clinging onto his arm. “Ya gotta help me, babe. Keith’s being a jerk and won’t move off the couch. Help me make him move.”

Hunk looked surprised, and raised an eyebrow over at Keith, who was sitting up now and trying hard not to laugh. Hunk then smiled and brushed Lance off, though not unkindly. He strolled over to Keith with an amused yet cocky look on his face.

“Won’t move, you say?” He looked over at Lance, then back at Keith, playing along. “We can’t have that! We’ll just have to move him.”

Keith looked up at Hunk, challenging him now. “You think you can lift me, Big Man? I’ll have you know I’m a lot heavier than I look.”

Hunk held up his arm and flexed it, showing off a rather impressive muscle. “I think I’ll manage.”

Lance was suddenly there beside Hunk, feeling the arm he was still holding up and flexing. He smiled evilly, then let go. “Get him, babe.”

In one deft swoop, Keith suddenly found himself being tossed into a fireman’s carry over Hunk’s shoulder. He playfully struggled and squirmed a bit, but in actuality just let it happen. Hunk carried him towards their kitchen, which was also adjacent and opened to their living room, and placed Keith down on the counter. Lance quickly followed.

Keith sat back on the counter, feeling rebellious for sitting on a place that normally wasn’t sat on, and admired his two boyfriends. They stared back him, and suddenly all three of them were laughing.

Hunk leaned over and pressed a kiss to Keith’s cheek, lovingly hard, and then pushed away so he could take off his shoes and jacket since he didn’t get the chance when he first came into the house. Lance came up on his other side, and more or less copied Hunk, except the kiss he planted on him was closer to his mouth. Keith leaned over onto Lance, letting his head lean on his shoulder and he yawned.

Hunk shook his head at him as he came back into the room. “Did you stay up all night again, sleepy head?”

Keith lifted his head off of Lance’s shoulder, and happily took note how his boyfriend seemed a bit miffed at the loss of contact. “Hey, you know me,” he said, stifling another yawn. “I’m a night owl. Plus I work the night shift on Tuesday.”

Hunk shook his head again. “What are we gonna do with you?”

“Maybe make him _sleep_ for once,” Lance piped up. He put his hand on Keith’s head and pulled him back down to his shoulder, to which Keith laughed but let happen. “He’s always so tired. I once saw him almost fall asleep standing up.”

“That didn’t happen,” Keith scoffed, head still being held to Lance’s shoulder by Lance himself. “And I was sleeping just now. But now I’m not sure I’ll be able to again….”

He said that last part rather coyly, as if asking them to help him.

Hunk and Lance looked at each other and then grinned down at Keith. Lance pushed him away, and before he could protest he suddenly found himself in Hunk’s arms again. This time, however, he was being carried bridal style and towards the bedroom.

Keith blushed. “Uh…”

“Don’t worry.” Hunk winked at him. “We’ll help you sleep.”

Lance opened the door and then they were in the bedroom. Hunk spun around a few times, making Keith dizzy but in a good way, and then unceremoniously plopped him down on the king sized bed they all somehow shared. Before Keith could say a word, he suddenly felt himself engulfed in two pairs of arms hugging him tightly. The three of them all fell back on the bed, Keith wrapped in a sandwich between Lance and Hunk.

They stayed like that for a minute or so, and then began shifting into a more comfortable position. Hunk ended up behind Keith, spooning him, and Lance ended up facing him. Neither of them let their arms fall from him at anytime, always encasing him in their warmth and the emotions they were feeling.

“This should help you sleep,” Lance said, inches from his face again. He was grinning, but softly. Keith realized it was because he was staring at him. “It’s all nice and warm, you got us here with you….”

“Just tell us if you have to pee or anything now,” Hunk said from behind him, shifting just a tiny bit more so that he could reach out his arm and touch Lance as well despite how he still was holding Keith. “We don’t want to get comfortable and then have to ruin it.”

Keith laughed. “No...this is perfect. Thank you. I _really_ do think I’ll be able to sleep now.” He then thought for a moment. “But what about you guys? Isn’t it only like, 5 PM? Don’t you want to do anything tonight?”

Lance suddenly yawned. “Nah, we’d rather just spend this time with you.”

“Definitely,” Hunk affirmed. He pressed a kiss to the back of Keith’s neck. “We love you.”

“Yeah,” Lance said, then smiled and grabbed Keith’s hand, pressing his lips to his knuckles. “We love you, and we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now.”

Keith felt himself smile, and tears pricked at his eyes despite him not knowing why. “Wow, I…” he said. “I love you both too.”

Lance smiled at him again, and Hunk gave him a squeeze. He let his eyes slip close, feeling completely content, safe, happy, and unconditionally _loved_ for the first time in his life….

And then he _actually_ woke up.

 

* * *

 

Keith felt like most people did after an unexpected nap; cranky, disoriented, and vaguely disappointed.

However, this time it was a bit different. He found he was cranky because he saw that he was still at work, apparently having fallen asleep at his register, and that he still had half an hour left to his shift. He was disoriented because again, he was also still at work, and because the nap had been a surprise, but also because he dream had seemed _so real._

He was disappointed because it hadn’t been.

There was probably something to be said about unrequited pining and the fact that he fell a little bit in love with anyone who showed him a bit of affection, but at that moment Keith didn’t care. He was falling hard and fast for both Lance and Hunk and that fucking _terrified_ him. He was even at the point where he knew what liked about them and what he hated about them and how he loved them equally for both of those things at the same time.

Loving Hunk was like coming inside on a cold winter’s day and just taking off all your clothes except your underwear and falling asleep immediately, as soon as your head hit the pillow. It was warm, like being engulfed in a bunch of blankets while you were hugging tight your favorite stuffed animal you secretly still had from your childhood. But it was also like lying back and staring at the stars on a warm summer’s night, where nothing and everything seemed real, and you felt like you could do anything or be anyone just because of the feeling it gave you. That’s what loving Hunk was like.

Loving Lance on the other hand, was like like willingly going out into the frosty weather and face planting immediately into the snow while wearing no jacket just for the exuberant and adrenaline-inducing _hell_ of it. It was like the feeling you got just before jumping off of the top of the jungle gym at the local playground, or making yourself go higher and higher on the swing set and then suddenly flinging yourself from the seat and trying to land on you feet after you reached the highest point. It was like staring out at the ocean at night and letting the small waves hitting the shore roll over your toes and just accepting the simultaneous calmness it gave you as well as the feeling of just pure _fun_ and exhilaration. Loving Lance was like that.

But then, of course, that made Keith wonder….what was loving Keith like? He could ask Pidge or Shiro, or even try to get in touch with his shitty ex-boyfriend (despite how Keith knew in his heart that he never loved him) and ask...but it wouldn’t be the same. They loved him, sure, but they didn’t love him the way he wanted to be loved. And the way he wanted to be loved...was to be loved by Hunk and Lance.

Or, at least that’s what he speculated about the whole last half hour of his shift, so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even notice a ginger mustachioed man trying to get his attention so he could ring him up. Keith was falling hard, and he was falling bad, and that fucking terrified him….

….but he still couldn’t bring himself to think of that as a bad thing. 

 

* * *

 

**keef** **_is typing!_ **

**keef:** guess who fell asleep at work lmfao

 

**Hunkage** : :O?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : oh my god keef 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : you can’t just

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : fall asleep at work

**bill clinton's bee farm** : if the rest of us have to work without rest under capitalism so do you

 

**Hunkage** : are you okay though

 

**keef** : yeah lol i just fell asleep

**keef** : also  _ @bill clinton’s bee farm _ don’t tell me you’ve never fallen asleep at work before

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : i haven’t

 

**Hunkage** : he has

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : WHO’S SIDE ARE YOU ON

 

**Hunkage** : im switzerland

**Hunkage** : but really keith, are you sure you’re okay? 

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : what about your milk thing

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : the rummbly in your tummbly

 

**keef** : afhdgkjdskf

**keef** : all the lactose passed from my system if that’s what you’re asking. it wasn’t a lot to begin with. 

**keef** : but yeah i’m okay, just tired i guess

 

**Hunkage** : :O?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : :O???

 

**Hunkage** : :O???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

**keef** : ASGSFKJNDFDBK 

**keef** : jfc

 

**Hunkage** : are you sleeping enough ?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : cmon keef

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : knowing you, you probably NEED your beauty sleep

 

**keef** : did you just call me ugly

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : maaaaaaaaaybe

 

**keef** : pffft

 

**Hunkage** : but really…..are you sleeping ?

 

**keef** : eh

**keef** : its okay

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : …..

 

**Hunkage** : keith…..

 

**keef** : what

**keef** : not like i can do anything about it lol

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : how late do you stay up talking to us?

 

**keef** : …..

 

**Hunkage** : oh god i hadn’t even thought of that

**Hunkage** : i always just assumed you were able to stay up late bc you worked the afternoon shifts or something

**Hunkage** : but today you basically just said you work mornings……

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : keith,,,,,

 

**keef** : it’s fine lol

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : it is most certainly NOT fine

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : we’re giving you a bedtime, mister

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : what time do you usually get up

 

**keef** : lance srsly its fine

 

**Hunkage** : what time

 

**keef** :....4:30 AM

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : what time do you go to work?

 

**keef** : i go in at about 5:45

**keef** : i leave at about 2

 

**bill clinton's bee farm** : AM??????

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : wait no

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : 8 hour shift, duh. 2 pm.

 

**keef** : yeah

**keef** : i also recently picked up a second job to help repair my bike and also for some hospital bills the insurance didn’t pick up………

**keef** : it’s only part time

**keef** : 3 pm - 8 pm

 

**Hunkage** : o

**Hunkage** : keith omg

**Hunkage** : what time do you get home????

 

**keef** : around 9-10ish???

**keef** : i live kinda far from that job (convenience store) and then i have to pick up my brother because we have a weird car situation 

**keef** : and then i just

**keef** : fall asleep 

**keef** : its all good

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : but you’re always up before us

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : we’re three hours ahead of you????

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : your 4:30 AM is our 7:30 AM

**bill clinton's bee farm** : and we wake up at 5…..

 

**Hunkage** : why are you up at 2 AM

 

**keef** : ……

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : keith

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : it sounds like you’re getting only four hours of sleep per night

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : like okay that’s something i did a lot in high school tbh but i can say from experience That Is Not Healthy

**bill clinton's bee farm** : wAIT HOW ARE YOU TALKING TO US NOW

 

**keef** : lol i’m on my break at my second job

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : ugh

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : you gotta

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : sleep

 

**Hunkage** : yeah

**Hunkage** : we’re cutting you off 

**Hunkage** : we’re making you sleep until 4:30 AM

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : and all day on your days off

 

**Hunkage** : at least until you catch up on some sleep

 

**keef** : idk how you’re gonna do that but okay lmfao

 

**bill clinton's bee farm** : easy

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : fly out to where you and hold you down in bed until you sleep

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : how much money we got saved, hunk? looks like we’ll be flying out to hillbilly country every night until keith learns how to fucking sleep

 

**Hunkage** : uuhhhh….yeah babe i don’t think we have the funds for that :/

**Hunkage** : but yknow

**Hunkage** : there is another way

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : oh?

**Hunkage** : okay so this is gonna blow your fucking mind, hold onto something

**Hunkage** : NOT THAT YOU DINGUS AHGFGJDKFS

**Hunkage** : (sorry keith we’re literally sitting right next to each other and he grabbed my

**Hunkage** : yknow what im not finishing that thought

 

**keef** : :O?

 

**Hunkage** : anyways what if we just

**Hunkage** : didn’t respond

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : :O!!!!!

 

**keef** : w

**keef** : what

 

**Hunkage** : it’s a sacrifice

**Hunkage** : but a sacrifice we must make 

**Hunkage** : for the sake of you sleeping

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : sounds good to me >:3c

 

**keef** : what

**keef** : no

**keef** : guys cmon that’s not fair

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : >;3c

 

**Hunkage** : it’s just until you catch up on your sleep

 

**keef** : no

**keef** : please i 

**keef** : i can’t

**keef** :  _ i can’t _

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : pfft keef

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : we’ll still talking to you and stuff

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : probably the same amount as we do now

  
  


**keef** : really?

 

**Hunkage** : yeah dude, chill

**Hunkage** : we’ll work out a schedule

 

**keef** : a

**keef** : a schedule

**keef** : the fuck

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : yeah

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : we’ve done this with other online friends before

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : the ones in different time zones

 

**keef** : i

**keef** : a schedule?

keef: is that normal? to work out a schedule to talk to your online friends????

 

**Hunkage** : idk

**Hunkage** : but i mean, who cares

**Hunkage** : other generations have never had relationships like this before, there’s really nothing to compare it to

**Hunkage** : plus, people work their irl friends into their schedules all the time, idk why we can’t do it just because my buddy here lives in hong kong and im stuck here in fucking jersey

**Hunkage** : or, in your case, hill billy country not hong kong

**Hunkage** : like, we might have to go a day or so without *actually* talking while we figure this out

**Hunkage** : but we will figure it out

 

~~_ keef: so you’re _ ~~

~~_ keef: you’re _ ~~

~~_ keef: you’re not leaving me? _ ~~

**keef’s** **_messages have been deleted!_ **

**keef** : you really want to do that?

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : yeah

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : it’ll be easy-peasy

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : and you’ll finally get some sleep

 

**Hunkage** : yeah, that’s our primary concern rn

**Hunkage** : We Gotta Get You To Sleep

**Hunkag** : and if we physically can’t be there to hold you down and make sure you catch some z’s

**Hunkage** : i’m pretty sure this is the next best thing

 

**keef** : i

**keef** : thank you?????

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : lol don’t mention it

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : now don’t you have to get back to work

 

**keef** : i do but

**keef** : really

**keef** : thank you

**keef** : you guys

**keef** : you guys actually have no idea what this means to me

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : uh...okay lol

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : it’s just some scheduling dude

 

**keef** : not just that

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : uh...okay

 

**keef** : just

**keef** : thank you

 

**Hunkage** : no problem

**Hunkage** : now get back to work

**Hunkage** : we’ll talk later

**Hunkage** : NOT later tonight though

**Hunkage** : you will sleep, you promise us???

 

**keef** : yeah

**keef** : i promise

 

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : good

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : i guess we should say our goodnights now then lol

**bill clinton’s bee farm** : anyways, gn keef!!!! ily

 

**Hunkage** : yeah!!! goodnight, ily as well

 

**keef** : haha

**keef** : goodnight guys

**keef** : i love you both too

**keef** :  bye

**keef** **_has left the chat!_ **

 

* * *

 

Keith fell asleep that night the way he usually did; tired, even more tired, and thinking about Lance and Hunk. 

Except this time, he went to bed on time. 

Hunk had been right, it really wasn’t the same as the two of them being there and holding him close so he could sleep easier. Or even the same as the two of them flying out to his hill billy backwater town to forcibly hold him down until he passed out. And it was nowhere near as good as his dream. 

But the fact that they cared about him, and were probably thinking about him at that moment, wondering if he actually was going to sleep?

Hunk had been right again, it quite literally was the next best thing.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow that was fucking gay
> 
> like me
> 
> no thats a lie, im a bi. but im also super in love with lance and hunk and oh god keith's dream part in this was so self-indulgent. like, me 2 keith, i love ur boyfriends too. (or....would-be boyfriends. but no spoilers ;3c)
> 
> anyways, thank ny'all for all the amazing feedback you give me, i literally would fight ten thousands geese for you all. also this was kinda a fluff chapter, the next one we get back on track with a plot and shit goes DOWN FUCK YEAH. and the next update should be sooner ;3c
> 
> anyways, thanks again


End file.
